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Collection:
The First Step

Recovery rates have been a success

by Bruce R. Weddle

n 1990, the United States generated over 195 million tons of municipal solid waste, approximately 4.3 pounds per person per day. This exceeds the generation rate in every other industrialized nation. The good news is that Americans recognize the problems associated with municipal solid waste and are responding by separating and collecting many types of material for recycling.

Just take a look around. Supermarkets are accepting used plastic grocery bags for recycling, employees are collecting office paper at the workplace, local gas stations are taking used oil back from their customers, and schools are recycling everything from notebook paper to plastic food trays. Where once we may have been content to return aluminum cans to central collection centers, or contribute the occasional stack of newspapers to a paper drive, materials of all kinds are finding their way into a variety of public and private collection programs.

Of course, separating and collecting recyclable goods is just the beginning; recycling isn't complete until the materials have been reprocessed, marketed, and reused. Nonetheless, progress has been substantial over the

(Weddle is Director of EPA's Municipal and Industrial Solid Waste Division.)

last several years as the foundations of a comprehensive, nationwide recycling system are being laid. In 1990, we recovered 17 percent of our waste stream for recycling and composting, compared to just 10 percent in 1985. This means that in 1990, because of our higher generation rate, we recovered over 33 million tons of materials, which is more than twice the 16 million tons recovered in 1986. While federal, state, and local governments, industry, and private organizations have all contributed to the rapid growth in the collection of recyclable materials, the real heroes are ordinary citizens. Individuals of all ages are not only collecting more materials for recycling, but they're volunteering at collection sites, promoting programs, and more. Perhaps we as a nation have embraced recycling because it allows us as individuals to do something that has an immediate and measurable impact on a problem to which we all contribute. Considering the diversity and complexity of today's

environmental challenges, separating recyclables from our trash reminds us that we really can make a difference. In many areas of the country, municipal governments have led the way. Encouraged by the support of local civic groups, volunteer recycling committees, and other concerned citizens, these communities have designed and implemented recycling programs that reduced their reliance on landfills and incinerators and provided considerable savings in tipping or dumping fees. These

communities also earned revenues from the sale of recyclable materials that helped offset the cost of the recycling program.

Community recycling programs are typically organized around curbside or dropoff collections. In a curbside program, local haulers or recycling companies pick up sorted or mixed recyclable materials directly from residents. Characteristically, curbside programs result in a high participation rate, successfully diverting a significant percentage of the waste stream. The number of curbside collection programs has quadrupled since 1988; today, some 65 million Americans are served by these programs. Lexington, Massachusetts, for example, established its curbside recycling program in 1988, distributing recycling bins to area residents to be filled with mixed recyclables and placed at the curb for collection by a private contractor. The city reported in 1991 that over 80 percent of its residents participated, diverting 30 percent of the city's waste stream.

Dropoff collection programs require the individuals to bring their separated materials to a central site. These programs range in scope from newspaper collections sponsored by scouting organizations to industry-sponsored buy-back projects to fully staffed multi-material collection centers. Operating dropoff sites is less expensive than managing curbside collection programs, though lower participation and collection rates usually result. In some communities, vending machines are being used for

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Seventeen percent of municipal solid waste is now recovered for recycling, up from 10 percent in 1985.

consumer convenience. Individuals simply deposit their aluminum and plastic beverage containers into the machines and receive cash in return.

To encourage recycling by residents, some communities are using economic incentives, such as "variable rate" programs in which residents are billed for waste collection based on the weight or volume of waste they place at the curb for disposal. Material set out for recycling is collected without charge. One of the most successful programs began in Seattle, Washington, in the early 1980s. The program significantly increased the amount of material diverted from the waste stream. In 1991, approximately 40 percent of the city's waste (about 50,000 tons of material) was collected for recycling.

To learn more about such successful

Steve Delaney photo. EPA.

collection efforts, EPA is funding a
study by the Institute for Local
Self-Reliance, a nonprofit research and
educational group dedicated to
supporting independent communities.
The institute is developing case
studies on 30 community-based
recycling programs. It is compiling and accurately. Because of low landfill
comparing such data as costs,

cities discovered in 1991 that each
used different methods to compile and
calculate recycling and participation
rates. They are now working to
develop uniform measurement
methods to enable them to gauge the
success of their efforts more

costs and high transportation costs,

participation levels, and recovery rates. caused by long distances to markets for
The idea is to provide reliable
information that other communities
can use to plan for and evaluate their
own programs. The information will be
made available in a three-volume
report this fall.

Regional approaches are also being undertaken. A coalition of 20 southwestern cities created the Southwest Public Recycling Association, which is examining collection and marketing issues. The

their collected recyclables, these cities also face special recycling challenges, which they are working to overcome. Additionally, the coalition is working cooperatively to market recyclables, thereby ensuring a steady supply of materials on which recycling industries can rely. This will make the recovered materials more valuable and easier to sell.

State governments have been. instrumental in providing a boost for

recycling; today, virtually every state in the country has enacted some type of recycling legislation. In 1986, Rhode Island instituted the country's first state-wide regulations mandating recycling, requiring the participation of both households and businesses. The state initially concentrated on residential collection. A list of materials to be collected from the curb was compiled, and residents were asked to separate these materials from their household waste. The participation rate by households reached 80 percent this year. Businesses were asked to prepare recycling plans, focusing their efforts on those materials that appear in the largest quantities in their waste stream. To date, over 90 percent of the companies have submitted their plans and report an average reduction in the amount of waste requiring disposal of 20 percent. In Pennsylvania, where over two million residents in 200

communities are participating in community recycling programs, a state recycling program is being developed that will eventually involve over eight million of its citizens.

The federal government has introduced a large-scale recycling effort, In 1991, President Bush signed an Executive Order requiring, among other things, that every federal agency and department formulate a plan to recycle usable materials, from paper and plastic to used oil and automobile tires. Through this effort, the federal government will soon become one of the largest recyclers in the world. The General Services Administration is helping many federal agencies get their programs off the ground and has established collection programs in federally owned office buildings.

EPA launched its own recycling program in 1975. Program organizers educate employees about recycling, track the amounts and types of waste

Many community groups, such as these Virginia scouts, recycle aluminum cans for fundraising.

diverted, and direct purchasing decisions toward products with recycled content. While collection efforts were initially focused on high-grade white office paper, the program now includes newsprint, mixed waste paper, aluminum cans, and glass bottles. Last year, EPA diverted over 2,400 tons of recyclables from its waste stream.

Numerous interagency recycling partnerships have been established as well. Just this year the U.S. Postal Service joined forces with EPA to design an educational poster on recycling that will be displayed in post offices across the nation. The Postal Service itself has implemented its own comprehensive recycling program, collecting such diverse materials as paper and cardboard from its offices and waste oil, lead-acid batteries, and antifreeze from its vehicle maintenance operations. In 1990, the Department of the Interior, along with Dow Chemical and Huntsman Chemical, formed a partnership to sponsor major recycling programs for glass, aluminum, and plastics in several national parks. Another cross-agency effort is helping to provide guidance to manufacturers and consumers on the

use of marketing claims like "recycled" and "recyclable." Many consumers

want to purchase products that have recycled content or other

environmental attributes but have been

confused by the inconsistent and sometimes misleading use of environmental marketing claims.

To address these issues, EPA initiated an Interagency Task Force with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs to develop a comprehensive national response to the problems posed by the inconsistent use of claims. A major goal of the task force is to prepare consistent national guidelines for the use of environmental claims. On July 28, the FTC made a

[graphic]

Aluminum Company of America photo.

major contribution to this goal by announcing the release of voluntary industry guidelines. EPA was pleased to assist the FTC by providing technical input to the guidelines. They will help provide consumers with reliable information, discouraging the use of vague claims like "recyclable where facilities exist" and encouraging specific claims like "contains 50 percent recycled material." (See box on page 10.)

Private groups, from national environmental organizations to local civic groups, have also done their part to mobilize recycling in the nation. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), working with the Advertising Council, launched a pair of nationwide advertising campaigns in 1988 and 1990 to stimulate people's interest in recycling. The first recycling campaign, using the slogan "If you're

Regional Refuse Breakdown

not recycling, you're throwing it all away," generated over 120,000 calls from people requesting more information. The follow-up campaign targeted nonrecyclers, conveying a message that recycling not only lets individuals make a difference, but that it's easy. Other groups, such as the

The foundations of a comprehensive, nationwide recycling system are being laid.

Natural Resources Defense Council, have initiated research projects to quantify the effectiveness of recycling, and many community organizations, such as the League of Women Voters and Keep America Beautiful, are

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working to increase participation by residents in local recycling programs.

Partnerships between industry and environmental groups have been especially successful at increasing the amount of waste being collected for recycling. In 1990, EDF and the McDonald's Corporation formed a task force to study how waste could be effectively reduced and recycled in the company's franchises. Among the actions McDonald's decided to implement was collecting corrugated boxes (which comprise over one-third of its waste) for recycling. Facts about the company's efforts also are printed on bags and posters to help promote recycling among the restaurant's many customers.

Schools also have been active in the recycling arena. From kindergarten to college, students are championing recycling and taking the message home to their friends and families. In Newark, New Jersey, for example, hundreds of children from kindergarten through the sixth grade have been sworn in as "Recycling Rangers." Their job: to "tell my family and friends why recycling is a good thing to do and help them to recycle." At the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, students and faculty instituted a collection program for paper, aluminum and other metals, and yard trimmings. The program recovered almost 45 percent of the university's waste stream in the first full year of operation.

The tremendous surge in collection programs in recent years reflects a growing concern with solid waste management in the United States. It also demonstrates a concerted effort by

numerous individuals to take responsibility for the waste they

generate. This willingness to make changes in our lifestyles is a necessary first step toward developing even more innovative solutions in the years to

[graphic]

come.

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ecycling's universally recognized symbol is truly representative of this thriving environmental industry. The symbol's chasing arrows perfectly connote the sequential, full circle nature of materials recovery and use. As a beginning, residents, businesses, and institutions must prepare discards for recycling collection. These materials must then be sorted, processed, and transported. Mills and factories must convert these recovered commodities into new goods and products for sale to and use by consumers, thus rounding out the circle. It is important to note that the recycling logo has three equally sized arrows. Should any of the activities involved fall behind their counterparts, the resulting imbalance will cause the system to falter.

This article outlines the activities involved under the second arrow: the conversion of collected materials into commodities desired by industry here and abroad. In a sense, this article is about that quiet and unknown element of recycling--the processor.

As well, this article describes a growing industry, an industry that operates in nearly every American town and city. In the United States, there are nearly 2,000 sites where recovered paper is received, sorted, and packed for shipment to paper and paperboard mills. Last year, these processors handled over 30 million tons of recyclable fiber.

More than 5,000 facilities in the United States process scrap metals before the material is sent to mills and foundries. Over 100 processing locations turn glass bottles into cullet-small bits of glass that can be easily melted-for use by container manufacturers. Similarly, some 300 scrap plastic processors now operate in

(Powell is Editor-in-Chief of Resource Recycling Magazine based in Portland, Oregon.)

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