And look what was in the CAWchester paper last nite...just for Glenn!
Don't put that plastic bag in the recyclingMaryette Braithwaite worries that what’s put into recycling bins isn’t always making it to its intended destination.
“That concerns me, if people think they are doing the right thing and it doesn’t make any difference,” she said.
It’s a valid concern, and it’s one shared by those charged with handling local trash and recyclables.
Tory Keefe, owner of Sunshine Sanitation, said his drivers are seeing more and more trash make its way into recycling bins, which contaminates loads of otherwise recyclable paper, glass and plastics.
One stray plastic bag can gum up the works, forcing the machines that sort materials to shutdown, with the cost — a $100 to $500 charge — passed to trash haulers.
“If the bags don’t go through the system, then it’s residual trash,” he said.
Making things worse is the declining market for recyclable materials, which has forced some municipal trash haulers throughout the nation to stop collecting curbside recycling.
Communities are reporting the cost is simply too high after processing fees rose following China’s decision to stop buying plastic waste last year. In the past, recycling recovery facilities throughout the U.S. were sending collected plastic waste to China, which was willing to sort through it. But China companies have reversed course and is expected to stop accepting any recyclables by 2021.
“Communities were used to getting money back for those commodities, but they were actually having to pay to get rid of the recyclables,” said Tony Hill, Olmsted County’s director of environmental resources.
He said the international shift hasn’t had a big impact locally, since the city and county aren’t responsible for recyclables collected at the curb. The only recyclables the county collects are at its recycling center, 2122 Campus Drive SE, where local residents are expected to sort items on delivery.
“The markets are down for us, but at least we’re able to get rid of that material because of how we are handling it,” Hill said.
At the same time, the county is working with the local residential trash haulers with hopes of cleaning up the waste stream to make sure garbage and recyclables are property separated at the curb.
Olmsted County has been working with local trash haulers to provide educational materials that will hopefully help spread the message regarding what can be recycled from the curbside.
Sharon Schriever, regional programs manager for Olmsted County Environmental Resources, said the educational campaign is expected to launch Nov. 15, which is America Recycles Day.
Without a national, or even statewide, standard, Hill said it’s been hard to make sure everyone in the community is on the same page.
“Different communities have different messages depending on where the recycling is going,” he said.
He said another big challenge the campaign hopes to address is the “aspirational recycler,” who wants to believe all plastics can be recycled, which is not the case.
In Minnesota, No. 1, No. 2 and No. 5 plastics are most often collected at the curb, but many plastic toys, pipes and cutlery are not. (The numbers refer to the imprints on bottles and other plastic materials.)
Julie Ketchum, with Waste Management public affairs, said it appears to be a problem rooted in environmental concerns and good intentions.
“We have a generation that really wants to recycle as much as possible,” she said.
However, that is simply not the case.
“Just because the material is collected as recycling doesn’t mean it’s being recycled,” she said, noting the practice can drive up costs or result in a load of recycling going into the waste stream, where it is burned in Olmsted County with the resulting ash heading to a landfill.
Keefe said he expects the county’s educational effort will help reduce the times that happen. His company is already starting an education program of sorts.
Using video equipment in their trucks, drivers monitor each load as it’s picked up at the curb. If something that can’t be recycled is spotted, the customer will likely be notified to help keep the costs down.
“We just can’t keep throwing this money out the door,” he said of paying fines for contaminated loads.
Eventually, the cost will be passed to consumers, he added.
Ketchum said the same is true for Waste Management, which already handles 37 percent of the trash and recycling in Olmsted County and could take on another 41 percent when the company acquires Advanced Disposal next year.
She said the company has been working to find ways to reduce costs related to sorting recycling at its facilities, but it might not be enough in the long run.
“It may mean higher costs for getting recycling services,” she said.
Rochester resident Karl Stathakis said he’d be willing to pay more to keep recyclable materials out of the waste stream, but he also hopes the increased cost to garbage haulers motivates systemwide changes.
“The individual consumer, we can do a lot, but we can only do so much,” he said.
He suggested market changes could mirror the aftermath of 2016 oil crash 2016. As oil prices dropped, smaller producers were forced out of business as bigger companies were forced to evolve and develop improved practices.
“If we play our cards right, we as a community, state, country can replicate that affect here for recycling,” he said.
Hill said some domestic market shifts are already being seen, noting mills for recyclable materials are reopening in Utah, Maine and Wisconsin.
“Whenever there is a problem, hopefully there are opportunities,” he said.
Ketchum said she’s also seeing an increase in domestic markets, with the potential of 17 mills to process recycled paper expected to open in the next year.
While overstock of recycling exists today, she also noted that paper recycling is on the decline in the overall waste stream. Where it used to account for 80 percent of recycling, it is now 50 percent.
Still, she said the industry seems to be heading in a direction that will account for shifting consumer practices and provide opportunities to maintain recycling practices in communities where it is a priority.
“We see a rosy picture for 2020,” she said.
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Topic: plastic grocery bags (Read 12814 times)
