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Tag Archives: data

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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Experts offer insight on contamination, glass and more

Published: October 30, 2018
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A panel on stage at the 2018 Resource Recycling Conference.

A panel of experts discusses contamination during a plenary session at the 2018 Resource Recycling Conference.

Industry stakeholders from around the nation convened in St. Louis last week for the 2018 Resource Recycling Conference, where the hottest topics in materials recovery received attention over two days of educational sessions.

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