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Tag Archives: data

Data Corner: 30 years of recycling rates, MRF construction and commodity pricing

Published: June 9, 2017
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The U.S. experienced a rapid surge in its recycling rate as capacity increased with the growth of curbside recycling programs and construction of materials recovery facilities in the late 1980s to mid-1990s.

However, the last several years have seen the increases in recycling rate level off and stagnate in a development that parallels recent commodity pricing.

While rising commodity prices will to some degree help drive increased recycling, the trends underscore the need to overcome barriers in areas such as access and resident participation.

Note: Commodity revenue numbers represent average prices for typical curbside recyclables receiving by processing facilities in the Pacific Northwest.

Data Corner is compiled monthly by recycling consultancy RRS. Visit recycle.com to learn more.

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

Data Corner: The dirty details on contamination

Published: June 29, 2017
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Cascadia Consulting Group compiled single-family recycling composition data utilizing studies conducted in the past three years in five western and southern U.S. cities.

The five municipalities all operate single-stream recycling collection and have populations ranging from 600,000 to 2.2 million. The chart below provides a breakout of types and amounts of contaminants, defined as materials not accepted in the programs.

Although contamination rates ranged widely – from 12 to 32 percent – researchers found consistency in terms of material types: non-conforming paper; food, green waste and wood; and other non-recyclables.

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

This article originally appeared in the June 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: Trends in residential foam collection

Published: October 1, 2018
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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.

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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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