GTS2000 Compactor demonstration

GTS2000 Demonstration

The Impact of China’s Waste Refusal Decision on Small-Town Recycling Plants

For many years, China grew to become the world’s largest importer of recyclable materials. The rise of single-stream recycling in the U.S., which saves Americans the headache of sorting their recyclables, passed the headache on to Chinese processors. As a result, China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment cited environmental damage caused by "dirty wastes or even hazardous wastes" mixed in with solid waste that can be recycled into raw materials. The country has now placed strict standards for what it will and will not accept from other countries. In one fell swoop, China essentially changed the entire world market.

While big city recycling plants have lessened the impact of China’s decision for customers, rural and small-town recycling plants have not had the ability to follow suit. Many small towns and rural areas cannot shoulder the financial burden these new policies have created. In some places, recyclers have stockpiled certain materials in the hopes of locating a buyer. Many materials have declined in value as the market is flooded, with some even becoming worthless. Many big cities absorb the financial losses, fearing that if costs are passed on to customers, they will stop recycling. Unfortunately, small cities do not have this option. Rural recycling programs are already more expensive to manage than big city programs, as homes are further apart and greater distances must be covered. Recyclables must also be shipped to centers that can find markets for the products. As a result, a number of small recycling plants have scaled back or even stopped accepting certain items, such as plastics labeled with specific numbers or glass containers. Other local recycling centers have begun charging residents to dump their recycling.

Unfortunately, for many of these small towns, recycling centers have never made much money from a number of collected items, such as lower-quality plastics like numbers 3-7. These plastics are composed of a blend and do not break down easily. In addition, buyers typically want large quantities of these types of plastics, which rural and small town areas are unable to offer. The money spent to collect and ship these items no longer makes a profit for small town centers.

Towns in Erie County, PA, for example, have cut back on accepting glass, some plastics, and even some paper. County Environmental Sustainability Coordinator Brittany Prischak said she fears the new limits will make it much harder for recycling to survive in the state’s small-towns, despite the requirement under state law that communities with more than 10,000 residents have recycling programs. The costs are just too high. In Columbia County, NY, the annual recycling budget was exhausted over the summer. Now, the county will charge residents $50 for a permit to drop recyclables off at one of its recycling centers. Jolene Race, director of Columbia County Solid Waste Department, said the current program is unsustainable "unless you have a huge tax base where they just don't care…smaller counties don't and they have to pass (the cost) on."

America’s National Parks Become America’s Trashcans

Recently, the U.S. federal government has shut down, leaving national parks open, but largely unmanned. Beginning on December 21, trashcans and toilets in our nation’s national park have been overflowing and trespassing has been reported.

The issues have become so bad, that the Department of the Interior announced that they would dip into funds collected from entrance fees to pay for trash clean up, restroom maintenance, and additional law enforcement patrols. However, the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) responded that using entrance fees would divert badly needed funds from the park service’s massive $11 billion maintenance backlog. In addition, only 117 of the more than 400 national parks collect fees. This means that hundreds of parks will have to compete for funds. The NPCA has not responded on how much funding will go to each park.

According to Diane Regas, the president of the Trust for Public Land, “Never before have I seen the federal government tempt fate in national parks the way we are today…It's not about what has happened already. It's about what could happen if you don't have the appropriate staffing.” While the number of staff varies from park to park, the NPCA estimates some 16,000 parks service employees have been furloughed since the shutdown began. This leaves a very small number of employees for maintenance and security.

Jon Jarvis, the former National Park Service director under the Obama administration, discussed the risks of trash piling up in the parks. Unfortunately, an abundance of trash can upset the delicate balance parks strive to maintain between visitors and wildlife. According to Jarvis, “For the past couple of decades, the park service has worked hard to wean the black bear population from human food.” This issue can lead to many serious problems, because once wild animals, such as bears and coyotes, begin to associate humans with food, the risk of attacks or euthanizing of animals increases.

David Lamfrom, the director of the California desert and wildlife programs at the National Parks Conservation Association, stated that, “There are well-intentioned people who are leaving long term effects in National Parks because they don’t have the ability to consult with…The longer this goes on, the larger the impact becomes.” In addition to dangers for animals, unmanned parks can also be dangerous for visitors. Since the shutdown, three deaths and one serious injury have been reported in parks.

Once the government shutdown is officially lifted, a whole set of new problems face the nation’s parks. Park employees will be responsible for cleaning up the mess left by visitors, which in turn will further delaying projects that have already been deferred. According to Lamfrom, the full scale of the problem is yet to be determined, and clean up timelines will vary in length. Lamfrom stated that, “Some [efforts] will take weeks or months. Some will last generations. Some may not be able to be fixed.”

As a result of ongoing damage and failure to maintain the parks, Jarvis, Regas, and others say that the parks should be fully shut down until the government reopens in order to prevent any further damage. 

Plastic Straw Bans: Will it Make a Difference?

California has recently become the first state to ban plastic straws in restaurants. Beginning in 2019, customers will have to ask for straws if they want them. They will no longer be offered without asking. Other places, such as Seattle, have also joined this movement. In July, Seattle became the first major US city to ban single-use plastic straws and utensils. Even some big corporations, like Starbucks, Aramark, and American Airlines, are making the move to ban plastic straws.

Plastic waste, including single-use plastics like straws and utensils, are a big problem. In 2015, worldwide plastic consumption totaled 300 million metric tons. When broken down, that is essentially 88 pounds of plastic a year per person globally. It is estimated that less than 9 percent of all of the plastic used daily is recycled. Most of it ends up in landfills or in the ocean. Even though many people think they are being environmentally friendly by recycling, the stats tell another story. Research shows that more than 79 percent of all plastic ends up in the landfill, even if it is thrown in a recycling bin first. Another 12 percent is incinerated, which is having a negative effect on the atmosphere.

Unfortunately, this problem will not be resolved simply by eliminating straws. However, environmentalists say that we have to start somewhere. Eliminating straws and other single-use plastic is a great first step in a much-needed, larger, global behavior change. According to Plastic Pollution Coalition CEO Dianna Cohen, "We look at straws as one of the gateway issues to help people start thinking about the global plastic pollution problem…They've been designed to be used for a very short amount of time, and then be tossed away."

Some companies are taking this issue to heart, and moving beyond simply eliminating straws. Aramark, a global company that operates in schools, prisons, hospitals, and businesses in 19 countries around the world, recently vowed to reduce its straw use 60 percent by 2020. In addition, the company also plans to cut back on plastic cutlery, plastic bags, and "various packaging materials." Across the pond, other proposals for banning plastics are being considered in the UK and Europe. If enacted, these proposals could eliminate nearly all single-use plastics in restaurants and businesses across the European continent, including straws, cutlery, cotton swabs, cups, and carry-out containers. According to Greenpeace UK's political adviser Sam Chetan Welsh, "If we are to protect our oceans from the scourge of plastic, the flow of waste needs to be cut off at the tap…That means the companies producing and selling all this packaging must take responsibility for it and cut down the amount of plastic ending up in our shopping baskets."

While removing single-use plastics may seem like a big move that might not be successful, traditionally such moves have been effective. For example, in the US in the 1960s, unregulated pollution caused a range of problems including offshore oil spills and asthma-inducing car exhaust. With the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1970, regulation had a positive impact on both the environment and the economy. While all environmental problems have not been eliminated, things have certainly improved and can continue to do so. In fact, the EPA currently promotes the simple "reduce, reuse, recycle" mantra. Environmentalists like Cohen hope an extra “r” can be added to this mantra: "refuse." Even if single-use plastic is offered, people can make the choice to refuse it. As social psychologist John Bargh said, "the more you practice doing something, the less effort it takes." If we can make reuse a habit, it will be far easier to curb the plastic problem that seems to be overtaking the planet.

Shipping Industry Cracks Down On Plastic Waste

Cargo ships transport about 90 percent of the world’s consumer goods. At any given time, 5 to 6 million shipping containers are crossing the oceans, each stuffed with a variety of items. Many of these items are, at least partly, made of plastic or wrapped in plastic packaging. Unfortunately, data from The World Shipping Council shows that the shipping industry loses 10,000 containers a year at sea.

Typically, spilled goods (with the exception of oil) are not cleaned up. In fact, there is no international rule that says who is responsible for claiming or cleaning up consumer goods lost at sea by cargo carriers. Unfortunately, plastics are the number-one type of trash found in the sea. According to the Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit that organizes an annual coastal cleanup event in more than 150 countries around the world, plastic debris makes up around 85 percent of all the trash collected from beaches, waterways, and oceans. Plastic trash is not just unsightly, it is also dangerous. Plastic debris that floats in seawater absorbs dangerous pollutants like PCBs, DDT, and PAH. These highly toxic chemicals have a wide range of chronic effects, including endocrine disruption and cancer-causing mutations. Many scientists fear that these chemicals could cause poisoning, infertility, and genetic disruption in marine life, and even potentially in humans.

Though the shipping industry is not solely responsible for the plastic pollution issue, it has played a part in it. Recently, the International Maritime Organization has adopted a new plan to crack down on plastic pollution and other litter escaping from ships into the oceans. The new action plan aims to improve current regulations and create new measures to reduce marine plastic litter that is generated by ships. It has identified a number of measures that will help achieve this goal, including:

•         A planned study on marine plastic litter from ships
•        Exploration of port reception facility availability and adequacy
•         Encouraging the reporting of fishing gear loss

In addition, the plan also aims to strengthen international cooperation, particularly the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN Environment, and increase public awareness.

In a recent statement, the IMO said, “The Action Plan notes that marine plastic litter enters the marine environment as a result of a wide range of land and sea-based activities…Marine plastic litter negatively impacts activities such as tourism, fisheries and shipping…IMO’s London Convention and Protocol is designed to only allow the dumping of permitted materials, including the ones generated from dredging.”

Currently, the existing regulation from the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) prohibits dumping plastics into the sea. It also mandates governments to guarantee the availability of adequate port reception facilities to receive ship waste. In addition, IMO’s London Convention and Protocol is designed to only allow the dumping of permitted materials. However, these materials are still required to be evaluated before dumping. This ensures harmful materials, like plastics, are not released into the sea.

Though this new plan is expected to offer beneficial results, IMO is expected to regularly review and update the new action plan, if necessary.

How to Cut Down on “Wishful Recycling”

Everyone knows that recycling is an easy way to help keep the planet clean. When in doubt, many people will just drop an item in the recycling bin rather than the trash can. However, even those who have the best of intentions with recycling can actually be contributing to more garbage to piling up in landfills.

People like this have been termed “wishful recyclers,” who unfortunately do more harm than good with their recycling habits. Wishful recycling is when an item is tossed in the recycling bin in hopes that it is recyclable. However, these items could “contaminate” other recycling items and cause them to end up in the landfill instead of being recycled. Contaminated recyclables are any items outside the specifically targeted items for a recycling collection (such as cardboard ending up in a plastics collection).

Contaminated recyclables can cause many issues when they enter the recycling stream, including slowing down manual sorting processes, potentially breaking recycling machinery, and even degrading the quality and market price of recyclable materials. Because the recycling industry is driven by profits and bottom lines, not saving the earth, contaminated items being mixed in with recyclable items would cause an increase in sorting time and a decrease in output quality, thus affecting profits. It is easier and less expensive to dump the whole lot than take the time to sort it. Unfortunately, partly due to wishful recyclers who contaminate the recycling stream, recycling costs in the United States are increasing and recycling rates are decreasing.

There is a catch-22 with this issue. Contamination rates increase in areas with single-stream recycling, where sorting is not required because all recyclables are placed in same bin. However, recycling participation rates are higher in these areas because the process is much more convenient for participants. Contamination arises in this situation because people recycle everything, thinking that it will end up being recycled if it is placed in a recycling bin. While convenient for those who want to recycle, this convenience is actually causing more recyclable goods to end up being contaminated and dumped in the landfill.

What Can Be Recycled?

Part of the problem goes beyond wishful recyclers. The list of items that can be recycled is constantly changing because of market price fluctuations and technological advancements. In addition, location can impact what can and cannot be recycled. In some areas, budgetary constraints or city priorities could cause items that are recyclable in one city to not be accepted in another city. Thus, the responsibility of knowing what is or is not recyclable falls on the consumer.

As a general rule of thumb, plastic soda bottles and aluminum cans can be recycled. Pizza boxes or other containers soiled with greasy food residue cannot be recycled. Plastic bags cannot be placed in recycling bins, but many grocery stores are now accepting them. Milk juice cartons can also be recycled, but toss the plastic lid first.

If you want to avoid being a ‘wishful recycler,’ take the time to learn what items can and cannot be recycled, then try to change your consumption and disposal habits to reduce your carbon footprint.

The Impact of Midterm Elections on the Waste and Recycling Industry

Some changes are being made in Washington following the recent midterm elections. Namely, the Democrats recaptured control of the House of Representatives, while the Republicans strengthened control of the Senate. This switch of control in the House means that there will be changes in committee chairmanships, including the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Ways and Means Committee. Both members of the House Recycling Caucus and the new House Food Waste Caucus won re-election, so there will be no changes there.

Overall, the midterm elections should not have any immediate impact on the waste and recycling industry. Billy Johnson, chief lobbyist at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industry Inc. (ISRI) said, “Any time [a flip] happens, it doesn’t impact us as much. We are bipartisan and play both sides of the aisle…In the grand scheme of things, we’re friends with both parties and we keep it that way.”

Though the election does not have any immediate impact, it could have long-term impact on the waste and recycling industry. When opposing parties control Congress, there is often stagnation in legislative action. Lobbyists like Johnson hope that this will not be the case, and that bipartisan support for infrastructure reform can be garnered that would lead to growth in the industry. One area where this could occur is improvement in transportation. According to Johnson, “Transportation is a big issue for all industries—the recycling industry is not alone in this. We need better rail service since we ship a lot of materials. We need better roads and bridges. We need more truck drivers. We need better ports. Because we have to bring product into our yards and get it out...transportation is key to us.” Bipartisan support of large-scale transportation projects could lead to many new opportunities in the sector, such as the opportunity to recycle hard-to-recycle items into new materials to aid with infrastructure projects. For example, used tires could be transformed into rubberized asphalt and recycled plastic could be transformed into industrial parts, such as plumbing components.

While bipartisanship may be difficult for those in Congress, both parties will certainly have support from the waste and recycling industry. According to Stephen Sandherr, CEO of Associated General Contractors of American (AGC), “We are eager to work with the new Congress to ensure its members focus on enacting measures that will further contribute to economic growth. Our top priority will be helping both parties come together to enact the kind of significant new infrastructure measures the president has long promised. This is an issue that leaders in both parties have expressed support for and we expect them to make infrastructure a top priority early in the new year.”

Along with offering support, many industry leaders hope to build relationships with newly elected officials in the hopes of raising awareness of issues, like workforce shortages and trade issues with China. It is no secret that there is a big need for workers in the industry. Sandherr backs this up, stating, “We will work with the next Congress to double, over the next five years, federal investments in career and technical education. Our economy is producing too many underemployed college graduates and too few people with the skills needed to pursue high-paying construction careers.” Johnson also weighed in, saying that those in the recycling industry need to take time to communicate what they want to their state legislators and councilors. It is important to remember that there is no Republican garbage or Democratic garbage. Everyone has garbage and everyone should be striving to make the industry work better, for those working in it, the people it serves, and the environment.