Contamination is one of the biggest threats to municipal recycling programs across North America. Not only does it impact the efficiency of recycling streams by making the process more difficult and lengthy, but it also poses a major cost to the processing system. Did you know that just one jar of uncleaned peanut butter can contaminate one whole tonne of recyclable paper? That could cause a whole recycling load to be rejected and send it straight to the landfill, most certainly not an efficient process!
Contamination is very hard to eliminate. But there are steps we can take towards reducing recycling contamination. We’ve set out a simple guide across two articles to get started. Check out our first three stages below to start reducing recycling contamination today.
Develop an Effective Recycling Program
One of the first key stages to reduce recycling contamination is to develop an effective recycling program. Solid waste managers are key to developing an effective program that tackles the goal of reducing contamination.
What’s the best way to start? Keep it simple! A simplified program is more effective for engaging residents. When it comes to making decisions such as roll-out recycling carts or handheld bins, the needs of the resident should be the first question that comes to mind. The easier it is for residents to recycle, the more likely they are to engage with the process.
The answer is a recycling cart. Not only does it hold more material, but it’s also easier for residents to move to the curb. The collection process for a recycling cart is a lot more efficient too. It means automated side load vehicles can pick up the collection. Automated side load collections reduces overhead and the risk of workplace injury. A win-win solution!
For a municipal recycling program to be efficient, the frequency of collection needs to be consistent. By collecting at the same time each week, it is easier for residents to create sustained recycling behavior.
Third, the type of items collected in the recycling stream must be kept consistent. A great way to limit confusion and possible contamination is by sharing a list of accepted materials and publishing a recycling guide for residents. Highlight items that are accepted and rejected, and if something changes make sure to share this with the municipality before the change gets put into action.
Finally, solid waste managers should closely monitor household garbage output. If a garbage cart is consistently full or overflowing, households are more likely to throw extra garbage into their recycling cart. Providing a second garbage cart can reduce recycling contamination.
Perform Recycling Cart Audits
A recycling cart audit evaluates the types of materials in the recycling stream to determine the rate of contamination. A cart audit reveals the type and frequency of contaminants and the rate of correctly diverted items. Cart audits provide insight into the general effectiveness of a recycling program. Cart audits are an essential tool in reducing contamination and have been conducted by nearly every municipality across North America.
By conducting cart audits, recycling data can be collected to review the state of a municipal recycling program. This means that geographic areas of concern can be identified and analyzed and common contaminants can be tracked. Contamination metrics can be calculated long before feedback is provided by the MRF. Contamination data is much more accurate when applied at a household level and is a more effective tool in comparison to MRF-provided data. Household recycling data can be used to make data-driven decisions to reduce recycling contamination.
Cart audits are easy to set up! They can be conducted manually by localized crews. The Recycling Partnership has introduced manual cart audit pilot projects in several municipalities across North America.
If staffing limitations exist, technology can be used to conduct automated cart audits. At Prairie Robotics, we help municipalities reduce contamination by using technology. Our technology provides relevant and valuable recycling data related to contamination and recycling participation rates. Not only do automated cart audits provide detailed insight into recycling information at a household level, but can also improve the policy-making capabilities of municipalities in a simple and easy-to-adopt process.
Custom education outreach can be paired with cart audits to effectively reduce recycling contamination. We can take the data from the audits to inform residents of their current recycling behavior and introduce steps to improve.
We will discuss how cart audits can be paired with custom educational outreach in Part 2 of A Recycling Guide for Waste Managers: How to Reduce Contamination
Recycling Cart Rejection
A great bonus to recycling cart audits is recycling cart rejection. Carts lined with contamination can be tagged and denied collection. Cart rejection is an effective enforcement tool to both keep contaminants out of the recycling stream and make sustainable recycling behavior changes. Contaminated carts can be rejected at the source, to ensure households are aware of their recycling habits and prevent valuable recyclables from being contaminated down the processing line. Cart rejection is a very effective strategy for curbing any rate of recycling contamination.
In addition to cart rejection, issuing a Notice to Comply is an effective way to issue enforcement for poor recycling behavior. The card notifies the household of their unacceptable recycling behavior and warns them of future implications if the behavior continues. Enforcement could include further cart rejections or full cancellation of the recycling collection for that household.
Staged enforcement or a three-strike rule are effective strategies to hold households accountable for their recycling behavior and reduce contamination.
So far, issuing a Notice to Comply and introducing staged enforcement has not led to complaints from residents in studied municipalities. The process has made recycling much more efficient for poor-performing areas as a result of doing so.
So there we have it! The first stages of reducing municipal recycling contamination, and it’s pretty simple! Develop an effective recycling program that residents can engage with. Perform cart audits to gain an in-depth understanding of contamination rates. Finally, reject recycling carts that are contaminated with unacceptable materials. Solid waste managers will quickly find their municipality on the right path to effectively reducing municipal recycling contamination!
The next stage is building an effective education program. Learn more about how to reduce municipal recycling contamination in Part 2.
