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Kilgore

(1,733 posts)
Sun May 13, 2018, 03:36 PM May 2018

Recycling, Once Embraced by Businesses and Environmentalists, Now Under Siege

The U.S. recycling industry is breaking down. Prices for scrap paper and plastic have collapsed, leading local officials across the country to charge residents more to collect recyclables and send some to landfills. Used newspapers, cardboard boxes and plastic bottles are piling up at plants that can’t make a profit processing them for export or domestic markets.

As cities aggressively expanded recycling programs to keep more discarded household items out of landfills, the purity of U.S. scrap deteriorated as more trash infiltrated the recyclables. Discarded food, liquid-soaked paper and other contaminants recently accounted for as much as 20% of the material shipped to China, according to Waste Management Inc.’s estimates, double from five years ago.

The tedious and sometimes dangerous work of separating out that detritus at processing plants in China prompted officials there to slash the contaminants limit this year to 0.5%. China last week suspended all imports of U.S. recycled materials until June 4, regardless of the quality. The recycling industry interpreted the move as part of the growing rift between the U.S. and China over trade policies and tariffs.

The changes have effectively cut off exports from the U.S., the world’s largest generator of scrap paper and plastic. Collectors, processors and the municipal governments that hire them are reconsidering what they will accept to recycle and how much homeowners pay for that service. Many trash haulers and city agencies that paid for curbside collection by selling scrap said they are now losing money on almost every ton they handle.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/recycling-once-embraced-by-businesses-and-environmentalists-now-under-siege-1526209200

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I know that in my area our some of the recyclables end up in the landfill because there is no market. Our trash service is up front about it.

11 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Recycling, Once Embraced by Businesses and Environmentalists, Now Under Siege (Original Post) Kilgore May 2018 OP
Sad to hear. I've been told that a lot of recycling facilities employ the mentally challenged. underpants May 2018 #1
In many places, at slave wages. WhiskeyGrinder May 2018 #7
We need to go back to glass bottles. pwb May 2018 #2
We probably have a hundred hit the trash in my office area each day Kilgore May 2018 #4
Message auto-removed Name removed May 2018 #6
It is in a way where I live Kilgore May 2018 #8
Top two export items for the USA are Wellstone ruled May 2018 #3
Message auto-removed Name removed May 2018 #5
Some one had a post removed on this topic? pwb May 2018 #9
I replied to #5 and it seemed reasonable Kilgore May 2018 #10
Even by trying to cut back we still have a lot of recycleables each week. MissB May 2018 #11

pwb

(11,204 posts)
2. We need to go back to glass bottles.
Sun May 13, 2018, 03:57 PM
May 2018

And maybe someone should invent a cardboard single serve coffee pod.

Kilgore

(1,733 posts)
4. We probably have a hundred hit the trash in my office area each day
Sun May 13, 2018, 06:59 PM
May 2018

Next to the urn of industrial coffee supplied by the company, we have a keureg machine for the employees that want to bring in their own pods. I would say that a large number do judging on how full the trash can is by the end of the day.

Response to Kilgore (Reply #4)

Kilgore

(1,733 posts)
8. It is in a way where I live
Sun May 13, 2018, 07:07 PM
May 2018

Trash rates are high but recycling is free. We have a very small can and recycle as much as we can. But lateley we find out that the trash company cannot find anyone to buy the recycle and it ends up in the dump anyway. Making it mandatory would not help this.

 

Wellstone ruled

(34,661 posts)
3. Top two export items for the USA are
Sun May 13, 2018, 04:05 PM
May 2018

Cardboard-shredded copy paper and Scrap aluminum-scrap metals. Interesting how Isolationist Trump has almost completely cut the USA out of World Markets with his ignorance and self pity.

Response to Kilgore (Original post)

MissB

(15,800 posts)
11. Even by trying to cut back we still have a lot of recycleables each week.
Sun May 13, 2018, 07:40 PM
May 2018

I’ve taken to shredding much of the scrap paper except the shiny stuff. Empty toilet paper rolls and empty paper towel rolls also get shredded. Since I have backyard chickens, I use the shredded paper for their poop board under their perch. I scoop the poopy shreds into the compost pile.

Plastics are tougher. I avoid clam shells but we still eat yogurt, cottage cheese and drink milk. I keep cottage cheese and yogurt containers to use for garden starts but at some point I’ll have enough to last forever.

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