Recycling Contamination Up To 70% In Indianapolis Since late March, Republic Services has seen recycling contamination increase by as much as 41 percent in the In- dianapolis, Indiana area due to the coronavirus pandemic. Recycling contamination, or the presence of non-recycla- ble items in recycling bins, slows down operations at the recycling facility and can even lead to more waste. Facing the increases in waste and contamination seen in recent months, the City of Indianapolis and Republic Ser- vices are asking residents to remember recycling etiquette at a time when recycling facilities are already coping with social distancing measures for their front-line workers. Republic Services first noticed a shift in waste volume when schools started closing in mid-March, said Craig Lutz, area senior municipal sales manager for the company. Then when businesses, restaurants and bars closed for carry-out services only, the amount of residential waste in- creased by almost 30 percent, he said. And as all of this additional waste came in, he said, they noticed more and more of it wasn’t recyclable. Yard waste and takeout containers that weren’t recyclable were finding their way into Republic’s sorting lines. In some cases, people threw entire bags of trash in their recycling bins — a reaction, Lutz guesses, caused by people produc- ing so much trash that it didn’t fit in their normal trash bins. Recycling contamination levels are usually around 25 percent to 30 percent, Lutz said. But in the last couple of months, Republic saw loads coming in with contamination levels as high as 70 percent. To adapt, Republic temporarily suspended bulk and heavy items nationally, Lutz said, and slowed down their sorting lines while adding labor. Coupled with the fact that opera- tions were already being affected to comply with social dis- tancing standards — and the added cost of adding plexiglass barriers between workers’ stations — it’s been an expensive couple of months, Lutz said. FEAD: Funding Needed To Meet Recycling Targets The Brussels-based European Federation of Waste Man- agement and Environmental Services (FEAD) said the “am- bitious but achievable objectives” put forward by the Eu- ropean Union’s Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan will require the EU to“step up its investments in waste recycling and waste treatment capacity.” More recycling is key to achieve a circular economy and be successful in the fight against climate change by avoiding CO2 emissions and creating sustainable, innovative, local jobs, added FEAD. Concrete policy and economic instruments are necessary to achieve the circular economy objectives, and create a strong demand for recyclables, said FEAD. FEAD said its members are national waste management associations covering 19 EU member states, plus Norway. FEAD’s members represent more than 3,000 companies with activities in many waste management sectors.
Buyer’s Guide BALERS (HORIZONTAL)
ADVANCED EQUIPMENT SALES 535 Hagey Road, Souderton, PA 18964 (800) 572-9998 FAX (215) 723-7201
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INTERNATIONAL BALER CORPORATION 5400 Rio Grande Ave. • Jacksonville, FL 32254 (800) 231-9286
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6 June 8, 2020 Recycling Markets
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