"But it has a recycling symbol on it."

Recycling Misconceptions
Most municipalities with a single stream recycling program have taught us to put ALL of our plastics containing a chasing arrows symbol into the big blue bin. This was an effort to get more residents to recycle as you wouldn’t have to sort your items. The problem is that most of the items, even those with numbers inside of chasing arrows are NOT recyclable in all areas of the country. These numbers are important to manufacturers and recyclers as they inform the chemical makeup of the plastic.
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Not all Plastics are Created Equal
For the most part we have 7 different types of plastic for consumables here in the U.S. Plastic drink bottles and clam shells are #1 (PETE) plastic. These are usually clear and for the remanufacturing market easy to convert into new products. Laundry containers and milk cartons fall into the #2 (HDPE) category and are easy and accessible item for repurposing. Once we move beyond number 1’s and 2’s we veer off the road of easy and profitable remanufacturing to a bumpy unpaved confusing road of disappointment.

Numbers 3 through 7 plastics include a wide range of items such as polystyrene, PVC, cellophane, microwaveable trays and hard plastics. These products make up the majority of plastics that you’ll come in contact with and not surprisingly these are the most difficult to recycle. Number 3 through 7’s CAN be recycled but not in every City, the reason behind this is three-fold.

1. Demand for the recycled materials on the commodities market
2. Freight distance from the recycling facility to the re-manufacturer
3. Price of crude oil

Challenges of Demand
China began enforcing their Green Fence 2013 which started the process of their accepting less of the US’s sorted recyclables. Couple that with US cities better educating their residents on what to recycle and new efficiencies at recycling facilities created a new backlog of sorted recyclables. When supply outpaces demand the value of the item drops. In this case, many of the traditionally profitable recyclables now have either no or low value.

Too Far to Ship
Glass is infinitely recyclable but heavy to transport. The average cost to ship a ton of glass to the remanufacturer is $32 and rising. This is part of the reason why many cities have stopped recycling glass in favor of sending the product to the landfill.

Oil Pricing
When the price of crude oil moves beyond $100 per barrel, remanufacturing facilities see a jump in demand for recycled plastic. If the prices are below the $100+ amount, it becomes cheaper for manufacturing facilities to use virgin polymers created directly from crude oil.


So how can I help?
Help support this effort by following these 5 easy steps.

1. Strive to only purchase items that can be recycled or reused.
2. Rinse out your recyclables before depositing into your bin.
3. Keep styrofoam, hard plastics, tissue paper, food, plastic baggies out of your recycling.
4. Educate your friends and neighbors about recycling.
5. Reduce your amount of plastic consumption.
   
   

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Eric Bradford, GreenWorks Director of Operations