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Category: Data Corner

Data Corner: The evolving ton over 25 years

Published: October 29, 2018
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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.

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Data Corner: Commitments from corporate giants

Published: December 1, 2018
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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.

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Data Corner: The ramifications of collecting less

Published: January 14, 2019
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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.

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Data Corner: Average capacities of North American food scrap composters

Published: June 25, 2018
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RRS conducted a survey sponsored by the Foodservice Packaging Institute (FPI) to collect information about North American composters that accept food scraps.

The chart below displays the average capacity of these composters by the type of processing system they employ.

Both size and system variance may be linked to feedstocks processed, community needs, local policy and funding available, as well as geographic factors.

Data Corner is compiled monthly by recycling consultancy RRS.

This article originally appeared in the June 2018 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.

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Data Corner: What’s still heading to landfill

Published: April 7, 2017
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How has the materials recovery industry progressed in its ongoing efforts to increase diversion?

To offer a portrait, Cascadia Consulting utilized data from the U.S. Census, the Washington state Office of Financial Management, and publicly available information from the state of California, the City of Seattle and King County, Wash.

The charts below indicate a drop in per person landfilled quantities of divertible materials on an annual basis.

Nonetheless, the fact that there are still quantities of recyclables and food/yard waste being landfilled points to an opportunity. Does that mean more education and outreach, improved practices, more aggressive policies, or a combination of those strategies?

Data Corner April 2017Data Corner is compiled monthly by recycling consultancy RRS. For this edition, the company collaborated with Cascadia Consulting.

This article originally appeared in the April 2017 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.

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