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Category: Resource Recycling Magazine

Data Corner: Balancing trade-offs as single-stream collection continues to grow

Published: October 1, 2017
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RRS compiled a sampling of nationwide data from Governmental Advisory Associates and U.S. EPA sources to show current average materials recovery facility (MRF) efficiency rates and community recycling rates based on MRF construction year.

Efficiency rates show the percentage of materials, by weight, that enter the MRF and are not discarded as residue.

Newer MRFs open the door for single-stream programs in which people throw all recyclables in one bin – this improves participation and boosts tonnages but affects sorting efficiency, resulting in more residuals.

The tradeoff is positive overall as long as the increase in recycling outweighs the decrease in efficiency. Developments in MRF technology to reflect the mix of materials in the stream can help to capture more, and education is essential to minimize contamination.

Data Corner is compiled monthly by recycling consultancy RRS.

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

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Data Corner: The terms used most often in outreach

Published: October 26, 2017
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The word cloud below represents the language utilized in 1,000 residential recycling program guidelines, as reviewed by RRS.

The size of each word is proportional to its frequency of use in program education/outreach materials.

RRS also categorized the top 100 words and found that 55 percent of those terms described an item (for example, box, bottle or container); 24 percent described materials (steel, glass, plastic, etc.); and 18 percent aimed to direct behavior (place, empty, remove, etc.).

Data Corner is compiled monthly by recycling consultancy RRS.

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

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Data Corner: The fate of plastics produced over 65 years

Published: December 1, 2017
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RRS utilized the data from a recent academic study, “Production, Use, and Fate of All Plastics Ever Made,” to construct a visualization of the life cycle of various plastics.

The paper, which appeared in the July edition of the journal Science Advances, determined how much virgin plastic was produced between the dawn of the plastics industry around 1950 and 2015. Researchers then estimated how much material went through different avenues.

They concluded that almost 80 percent of plastic waste generated has ended up in landfill or in our natural environment, and only 9 percent was recycled.

The study was authored by Roland Geyer of the University of California, Santa Barbara; Jenna Jambeck of the University of Georgia; and Kara Law from the Sea Education Association.

 

Data Corner is compiled monthly by recycling consultancy RRS.

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

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Data Corner: Chronology of the Great China Ban

Published: January 2, 2018
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RRS compiled a timeline of events surrounding China’s recent policy announcement that banned import of 24 types of recovered materials.

The proposal has triggered changes in commodity pricing and adjustments to several U.S. recycling programs.

This is an example of global interconnectivity in materials recovery – a foreign nation’s policy has had repercussions on virtually all facets of the U.S. recycling industry.

Data Corner is compiled monthly by recycling consultancy RRS.

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

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Data Corner: Possibilities in municipal organics

Published: January 25, 2018
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RRS recently worked with the Washington, D.C. Department of Public Works to research the feasibility of adding curbside compost collection to the municipality’s existing recycling program and identified several economic and environmental benefits.

High participation could be expected if carts were deployed universally, education materials were provided with the cart, and residents were given financial incentivizes to divert waste via a pay-as-you-throw or rewards program.

Data Corner is compiled monthly by recycling consultancy RRS.

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

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Data Corner: The challenging economics of RPET

Published: February 26, 2018
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RRS recently analyzed PET trends using pricing data and recovery rates from recyclingmarkets.net, NAPCOR and other sources.

The counterintuitive picture that emerges is that recycled PET (RPET) doesn’t follow normal supply and demand trends – higher bale prices do not drive more supply. There are two reasons for this market reality.

First, the price of recovered PET (both PET bales and RPET pellet) is more closely correlated with virgin PET pricing, which closely follows oil pricing, than with supply. Second, municipal recycling programs typically do not respond to price signals.

Changes in programs, policy and education take time and are generally driven by factors other than commodity value, such as environmental goals or other local priorities.

Data Corner is compiled monthly by recycling consultancy RRS.

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

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Data Corner: Glass recovery perceptions

Published: April 2, 2018
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RRS conducted a survey for the Glass Recycling Coalition that asked materials recovery facility operators, municipal recycling program leaders, and glass industry representatives about various aspects of recycling glass.

The results indicated contamination concerns as well as perceived challenges around transportation, end markets and overall cost-effectiveness.

Data Corner is compiled monthly by recycling consultancy RRS.

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

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Data Corner: Material value passing through the hands of US residents

Published: April 25, 2018
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RRS analyzed U.S. pricing averages from recyclingmarkets.net, annual U.S. recycling and landfilling tonnages from the 2014 EPA Sustainable Materials Management report, and U.S. census data to calculate the total per capita value of several commonly recycled packaging types.

This allowed us to estimate the value of the portion of these items that are still being sent to landfill.

The exercise highlights the potential benefit of improving access, participation and infrastructure to increase recovery of these valuable materials.

Data Corner is compiled monthly by recycling consultancy RRS.

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

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Data Corner: The lithium-ion battery risk at MRFs

Published: June 4, 2018
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Lithium-ion batteries, which are being used in an increasing number of consumer products, can cause fires and explosions at recycling facilities if they are punctured during processing.

RRS conducted a survey that asked 31 materials recovery facility operators, representing 119 MRFs nationwide, about their perceived risk and potential hazards of batteries in the MRF environment.

The responses indicate that over three-quarters of MRF operators are increasingly aware and concerned about the issues facing them from lithium-based batteries entering the MRF.

Data Corner is compiled monthly by recycling consultancy RRS.

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

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