The shifting stream of materials used in packaging has been much-discussed. But while it’s true plastics are being used in more applications, fiber continues to dominate the recycling stream from a volume perspective.
Data Corner
Tagged Aug. 2019
The shifting stream of materials used in packaging has been much-discussed. But while it’s true plastics are being used in more applications, fiber continues to dominate the recycling stream from a volume perspective.
Historically, companies have used post-consumer resin (PCR) because it was a lower cost feedstock than virgin. In recent years, however, pricing for virgin plastic (mostly “wide spec” resin) has fallen below that of PCR (mostly high quality PCR that is suitable for food contact).
Oregon was the first state in the U.S. to implement a beverage container deposit/refund system, rolling out its program in 1972. Since then, the system has shown it can keep on a path of continuous improvement.
In late 2018, officials in the city of Walla Walla, Wash. (population 32,000) issued a report that showed the economics of the city’s single-stream curbside recycling program turned upside down over the course of 18 months.
As the graph below indicates, the city went from earning up to $30 per ton for recyclables in early 2017 to paying as much as $100 per ton a year later. Over the course of 2018, the city’s program lost a total of $130,000.
Walla Walla, which attributed the financial flip primarily to China’s National Sword import policy, has instituted a monthly recycling surcharge on resident bills to help get the program back on solid financial footing. The city’s program collects standard fiber items and plastics Nos. 1 and 2. It does not accept glass.
Data source: City of Walla Walla, Wash.
This article originally appeared in the February 2019 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.
As communities and materials recovery facilities wrestle with challenging markets, some stakeholders are suggesting that programs should accept fewer materials for recycling.
Using EPA data, RRS estimated that removing glass and plastics other than PET and HDPE bottles would reduce the nation’s total tonnage recycled by 8 percent and lower the U.S. recycling rate by at least 2 percentage points.
These findings assume that participation and the materials still accepted would not be impacted, though in reality, program changes can cause confusion that can negatively impact collection of all materials. For perspective, the U.S. recycling rate (not including composting) only increased by 3.3 percentage points between 2005 and 2015.
Data Corner is compiled monthly by recycling consultancy RRS.
This article originally appeared in the December 2018 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.
RRS tracked the environmental efforts described in the corporate social responsibility reports of the top 50 U.S. companies on the Fortune 500 list. Waste, recycling, energy and greenhouse gas emissions were some of the most common areas for corporate efforts.
Over half of the companies (28) reported on goals or progress metrics related to waste and recycling, though only four mentioned zero waste goals.
Meanwhile, 80 percent (40 companies) cited efforts related to either greenhouse gas reduction or renewable energy.
Data Corner is compiled monthly by recycling consultancy RRS.
This article originally appeared in the November 2018 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.
RRS reviewed the 2015 waste stream data in the U.S. EPA 2018 Sustainable Materials Management report and compared it with similar data from 1990.
Changes in waste stream composition help to inform adaptation needs in the recycling value chain, including material collection, processing and end markets.
Numbers in the recent report indicate the ongoing growth in online information and shopping are affecting the waste stream, with newspaper continuing to decline in prevalence as the quantity of OCC increases.
Data Corner is compiled monthly by recycling consultancy RRS.
This article originally appeared in the October 2018 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.
RRS reviewed data from foam polystyrene plastic recycling programs in several communities that had received grants to target the material.
The numbers show a pattern of a sizable initial rise in foam collected per capita during the first year of the program, followed by more modest growth in subsequent years.
Programs built around multiple drop-off sites were able to collect more foam per capita than curbside programs or programs using a single drop-off site.
Data Corner is compiled monthly by recycling consultancy RRS.
This article originally appeared in the September 2018 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.