How curbside recycling works – Earth911

Humans produce a lot of waste, but when we throw something away, how much do you know about where it goes and how it is treated? This article is about the large amount of waste we throw away. This is the final installment of a five-part series investigating what happens to matter.

In the United States, few environmental precepts are as deeply ingrained as the imperative to recycle. For some, recycling serves as a proxy for sustainability. A perfect recycling bin that tolerates all kinds of wasteful activities. However, recycling is not a fundamental solution to environmental problems. The American recycling system faces some serious problems of its own.

If you haven’t yet thought about recycling beyond taking your cart to the curb, here’s what happens after the truck picks it up.

Source separation or single stream

Older readers will remember the early days of source-separated recycling, when every material required its own container and even different colored glass had to be separated. Many households had to take multiple containers to recycling centers over the weekend. Even in areas where recycling was collected curbside, it took time to separate materials at home and maintaining a large number of bins was an obstacle to recycling.

Garbage collectors began offering single-stream recycling in the 90s. Single-stream recycling, also known as “mixed”, “single bin” or “all-in-one recycling”, allows households to dispose of all their recyclables in one bin. With the advent of single-stream recycling, recycling rates have increased, but so have contamination rates. Even with higher prices and increased pollution, single-stream recycling has been an environmental victory for nearly 20 years.

recycling system

Like garbage disposal and large-scale composting, recycling is big business, usually done through government contracts. Recyclable materials are a commodity, and prices fluctuate depending on market demand. Curbside recycling is picked up by large dump trucks and delivered to a material recovery facility (MRF, or “murf”).

MRFs do not actually recycle materials, but rather separate materials for recycling. These are essentially large-scale sorting lines, where human workers supplement a series of mechanical systems to separate recyclables by type, usually into large bales. Although MRFs are highly efficient, materials such as plastic bags can get stuck in the machine, leading to costly downtime. And from food waste to non-recyclable plastics and products made from multiple materials, contaminants can pass through the system and end up in the packaging with your goods. Contamination rates affect prices, and above a certain threshold the entire bale becomes unrecyclable.

In theory, a recycling processor would buy packaged recyclables and use them to make new products. There are several paper, metal, and plastic processors in the country. The United States used to export one-third of its recycling to China. and Average contamination rate 25%further separation was required before the exported material could be recycled at a facility in China. And in 2018, China effectively banned foreign recyclables, primarily to boost its domestic recycling economy. America is literally [plastic] bag.

system failure

China’s ban on foreign recyclables completely disrupts the US recycling system, wake up call Regarding system improvements that have been delayed. Contractually obligated to take back the materials, many recyclers have begun stockpiling the materials they collect because they can’t find buyers. Some recycling facilities Found market Also in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and India. But these countries need to expand their processing capacity to handle the volumes that China once did. own limitations to control the flow.

With international markets closed and domestic processors limited, local Recycling program suffered And as of 2022 There’s more plastic than ever before Sent to a US landfill. In some places, where residents continued to separate recyclables from trash, these materials ended up in landfills or incinerators. Without a long-term solution, many communities had to increase collection rates or formally abandon their recycling programs. Even Seattle, which is famous for promoting recycling, stop accepting plastic bags To make our program more efficient, we recycle plastic film at our stores.

The future of recycling

Not all changes in domestic recycling as a result of China’s ban have been negative. U.S. companies are abandoning the idea that China might loosen regulations. And they’re starting to build long-term profits. Domestic solutions. Across the country, some paper mills have begun retrofitting equipment to process waste paper, and at least one closed mill has reopened. Investment in plastic and scrap metal recycling plants is increasing. Ironically, much of the initial investment came from Chinese companies, which are still building domestic recycling capacity.

Domestic processing costs will inevitably be much higher than exporting waste to China, where environmental laws are lax and labor costs are low. This is only possible if the recyclables are much cleaner than what we were previously sending to China. One possibility is a return to source-separated recycling. However, the industry is reluctant to abandon investment in MRFs, which are actually very good at separating clean commodities.

Since 2018, annual investments in plastic recycling worldwide have totaled $32 billion, and $190 billion since the enactment of National Sword. According to the Circulate Initiative. The group points out that $1 trillion a year is needed for plastic recycling infrastructure for the industry to make meaningful progress.

High contamination rates have a lot to do with what the industry calls “aggressive recycling.” It may also be called “recycling of wishes.” Many people feel guilty about throwing things away and end up putting unnecessary items in the recycling bin. Or you misunderstand the rules and end up putting all your plastic in the bin when only some are accepted. Across the country, local recycling programs are increasing their efforts to educate residents.

what to do

If you’re a conscientious recycler, you should know that the rules for recycling in the U.S. are in flux, especially if you’re a conscientious recycler The lingering effects of China’s ban In addition, due to the impact of the new coronavirus infection, recycling services across the United States continue to be disrupted. Contact your local recycler to see what is currently recyclable in your area and learn about best practices. If in doubt, throw it away. If that goes against your sensibilities, first shift that energy toward creating less waste.

Will the United States build enough infrastructure to handle its own waste, or will it find new places to send its recyclable waste in the future? No one knows for sure. But one thing is certain: Whoever handles recyclables in the future will require us to better separate trash and goods.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published on November 12, 2019 and updated in November 2024. Read Part 1 of this 5-part series: Understanding Where Your Trash Goes.