General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsRecycling, 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 cant 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 worlds 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.
underpants
(182,271 posts)WhiskeyGrinder
(22,145 posts)pwb
(11,204 posts)And maybe someone should invent a cardboard single serve coffee pod.
Kilgore
(1,733 posts)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)
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Kilgore
(1,733 posts)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)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)
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pwb
(11,204 posts)What happened?
Kilgore
(1,733 posts)Gremlins in the clockworks?
MissB
(15,800 posts)Ive 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 Ill have enough to last forever.