Given the recent announcement by the Chinese government to ban the import of all recycled materials by year 2020, the country’s largest waste management company is changing the way it manages recycled items.
Waste Management’s Tabatha Rios, construction account manager for Central and Northern Arizona, shared details with Flagstaff Business News about current operations and changes that are underway.
“Because of the reduction of recycled materials going to China, it has resulted in depressed markets for recyclable materials,” said Rios. “Because of that, stricter quality requirements are being imposed by the now smaller pool of global buyers. That has taken a toll on recycling programs across North America.”
The three-year veteran WM employee’s home office is in Prescott Valley, although lately she is traveling around the state working with other WM personnel to accommodate changes occurring, especially as regulations become more stringent in communities and counties. A large part of her job involves helping to educate the public about growing the recycling industry and encouraging community recycling programs.
Rios is emphatic: “If I could hammer it into the public consciousness, I would emphasize what WM is calling the ‘3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.’”
Rios said that WM is focusing on finding ways to improve its waste management operations. “We need to encourage practices that will improve the quality of materials we recover.”
She stresses that people need to reduce the amount of waste being put into landfills. For instance, she says consumers need to start asking if they really need to purchase non-food items. Do they have similar items they can use? Are gently-used second-hand items available? Is the item built to last, or is it a one-use item? And ultimately, how can such items be recycled when they are no longer needed?
She said a preference among WM personnel is that people donate items that still have value to charity, sell them online or give to those who have a need for them.
Rios cautioned that recycled materials must not be contaminated. “It is not acceptable to dispose of hazardous materials that create safety threats to our workers or the public. Such things as propane tanks, household or pool chemicals, drugs and needles, or recyclable materials that have been ruined by liquids or other contaminants – these must be avoided.”
She also stressed that waste accompanied with food is not appropriate for recycling.
WM will provide curbside service in the Flagstaff area for clean glass and plastic bottles, jars and jugs, empty soda bottles, peanut butter jars and clean metal food containers like soup cans or empty aluminum beverage cans. The list also includes clean paper products such as newspapers, office paper, mail and clean cardboard.
“These mixed recyclable materials are sorted and transported to our Material Recovery Facility (MRF) plant in Surprise. There, they are separated back into individual commodities, baled and shipped to manufacturers who then turn them into new consumer products,” she explained. “We are continuing to invest in recycling technology to increase our operations efficiency and improve the quality of recycling materials. What’s important is that we reduce the amount of contamination in materials coming into the MRF so we can meet stringent quality requirements.”
She noted that WM has added labor and slowed down processing lines to hand-pick contaminated materials from those that will continue on to recycling bales.
When in Doubt, Throw it Out
A Prescott native who attended Yavapai College, Rios says a lot of confusion exists among consumers about what can and cannot be recycled.
“Our best advice: when in doubt, throw it out.” She went on to explain, “Many items cannot be recycled, for instance, plastic bags and straws and single-use products. Those should go back to the local retailers for recycling through separate channels. Better yet, don’t use them.”
Rios was especially critical of the amount of plastic that is being discarded into the environment. “It’s horrifying the amount of plastic that people dump into waterways that ultimately ends up in the ocean. Microplastics are killing fish and who knows what else.” She also condemns other products – batteries, light bulbs, plastic toys, clothes, yard waste and coffee-soaked newspapers. “They should not be put into the blue recycle bins. If people have questions about what they think they can recycle but are not certain – for example, computer or electronic equipment – they should check first before just dumping it into recycle.” FBN
By Ray Newton, FBN
For more information about what to recycle, visit RecycleOftenRecycleRight.com.