Recycling Contamination: Why We Need To Become Better Recyclers

Are you recycling the right way?  Recycling centers across the United States are having problems with recycling contamination due to improper recycling.  

Improper recycling can cause a lot of issues for recycling centers including broken machines and a decrease in the quality of the recycled materials.

How is that recycling has become more contaminated?

The Recycling Contamination Problem

The recycling contamination issue started to rise when single-stream recycling grew in the early 2000's.  Single-stream recycling changed our recycling habits.

Before single-stream recycling, recycled items were separated at the curb each week.  This made it much easier to separate aluminum, plastics, and paper into their processing streams.

More of the correct things were being recycled, but not as many people were doing it.

When single-stream recycling arrived in the early 2000's, it allowed people and businesses to put all of their recyclables into a single bin.  Things would then be separated at a sorting facility.

Thanks to the ease and convenience of single-stream recycling, it took off, and more people began to participate in recycling.

Households were recycling more than ever as recycling rates soared to their highest levels.

At the same time, product packaging began to become more complicated.  More and more different types of plastics started to get introduced into product packaging.

As a result of single-stream recycling and changes in product packaging, more and more people started putting non-recyclables into their recycling bins; items like plastic bags, food, liquids, yard waste, wires, hoses, and other low-grade plastics began making their way into recycling bins everywhere.

The contamination rates of recycling have steadily been climbing and now sit at 25%.  That means that 1 of 4 items in recycling bins are non-recyclable.

Why Does Recycling Contamination Matter?

One of the most significant reasons recycling contamination matters is because it increases the cost to process recyclables.  This mixed with a reduction in the commodity price for recyclables put the financial sustainability of recycling at risk.

Essentially, it cost more to produce a good that is dropping the price.

Another primary reason that we need to reduce recycling contamination is that recycling contamination has a direct impact on the quality of entering global commodity markets.

If foods or liquids make are recycled with other paper and cardboard items, it can contaminate it to the point of becoming trash.

Countries like China, a significant buy of recycled materials, has put a new rule in place that state that they will only buy recycled materials with less than 0.5% percent contamination.  That means that we need to drop our curbside contamination to nearly zero to reach that standard.

How To Help

Each of us has a role to play when it comes to recycling contamination.  Here are some simple steps to take to help ensure less contamination. 

1. Recycle all empty bottles, cans, paper, and cardboard
2. Keep food and liquids out of your recycling
3. Keep plastic bags out of your recycling

Story Source: (Waste Management)