Anne Germain October 2012
RECYCLING
The Waste Hierarchy
Why recycle?
Conserve natural resources
Reduce environmental impacts
Energy savings
Other
Potential jobs creation Potential cost savings
Why not recycle? Inconvenient Not
always economical
Environmental
apparent
Status
quo
benefits not always
What is recyclable? Commonly recycled Aluminum & steel cans OCC & paperboard Office paper Newspapers HDPE & PET bottles Glass containers Used oil & antifreeze Tires White goods & scrap metal
Increasingly common Yard waste Other organics including food waste Electronic goods Paint Film plastics EPS Asceptic containers Other plastic containers & Plastics #3-7
Comparison Aluminum High value High energy savings Limited resource (for bauxite ore) Mining & production environmental impacts
Glass Heavy Single-stream cullet? Color-segregated collection? Transportation to market “Downcycling”
Glass recycling
Bauxite waste foam from refinery
Bauxite mine pollution
Waste to US GDP
Waste to US GDP
USEPA: MSW Generation
USEPA: Recycling rates
USEPA: MSW composition
Recycling rates of various commodities
State recycling goals New recycling goals: •US EPA 40% by 2011 •California 75% by 2020 •Florida 75% by 2020 •Massachusetts 80% landfill diversion by 2050 •Rhode Island 35% recycling/50% landfill diversion by 2012 Source: September 2004 Trash Facts
Biocycle’s 2010 State of Garbage
Managing recyclables Source-segregated Dual-stream Single-stream Mixed
waste
Single-stream MRFs in the U.S.
Single-stream MRFs in the U.S.
Lightweighting
Which factor is the most important to recycling rates? High
disposal fees or other economic disincentives Public education & outreach regarding the environmental benefits of recycling Convenience Mandatory recycling Peer pressure
Determining the best recycling practices for an area Understand current MSW collection and management practices including both formal & informal recycling Understand regulatory & economic considerations Perform life cycle analyses on targeted recyclables Determine recycling practices to adopt:
Drop-off or curbside Commingled or source separated
Establish consensus – including major stakeholders such as hospitality industry
QUESTIONS?