How Market Drives Recycling
Permanent Markets are a Key to Successful Recycling Programs
January 2019
If you have been following the news about recycling in the last year, you know that contamination in recycling loads is a growing concern nationwide. Recycling contamination is when non-recyclable items are placed in with recyclable items. These are things like toys, plastic bags, hoses, batteries and aerosol cans. It’s easy to throw everything in your recycling bin with the hopes that local facilities can just sort it out. But this can wreak havoc on sorting equipment, present potential dangers to workers, slow down sorting speeds and ruin good, usable material.
To make recycling work, it’s just as important learn what belongs in the bin as recycling itself. Your current program includes clean cardboard, paper, tin and aluminum cans, empty glass bottles and jars and plastic tubs, jugs and bottles.
There are two key factors to consider when determining what material is accepted in sorting facilities across the U.S.
1. Is there technology available to sort the material
2. Are there permanent markets willing to process the material?
Technology, as we know, is ever-changing. Much of the technology used to sort recycling when curbside programs were first kicking off in the early 1990’s is out of date. Local recycling facilities are constantly updating their equipment like adding optical sorting machines, magnets and ballistic separators to handle more material or process it more efficiently. Unfortunately, when it comes to certain items like plastic bags or shredded paper, technology has not been developed to properly handle this material. These items tend to get caught in sorting equipment or get mixed in with other usable items. Because of this, they are not accepted in your curbside bin.
Permanent markets are the key to successful recycling. If there are no stable markets to take the material and make new products, then recycling facilities cannot accept them as part of their curbside programs. They simply have no place to bring the material.
When it comes to plastic it’s important to remember to recycle tubs, jugs and bottles and only those marked with a #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 and #7. Anything with a #6, regardless of shape or size, should go in your garbage can. To learn more about those numbers found on plastic containers, click here.
Nearly 95% percent of the plastics that consumers use is marked #1, #2, and #5. These are items like water and juice bottles, milk jugs, yogurt and butter tubs. Recycling facilities are currently experiencing good, stable markets for these products. When recycled, your tubs, jugs and bottles are used to make not only new containers but playground equipment, plastic lumber and toys. Plastics from water bottles is even used in new carpeting, clothing and sleeping bags!
Products with a #3, #4 or #7 make up much less of the recycling stream, and markets are a little bit more difficult to find, but these tubs, jugs and bottles should still be thrown in your recycling bin.
To get the most out of your curbside program, remember Basic Recycling is Better Recycling. If we get back to the basics, we can reduce contamination levels and keep worldwide recycling programs in place for future generations.
