Thanks to those who took the time to respond to my email RE: All bottle
recovery.
My apologies to anyone on the list(s) not interested in All Plastic Bottle
Recycling. I think it's an issue worth discussing, soooo, I am forwarding
some of the comments I received from my original question which is at the
end of the responses.
Pat
PS I hope the folks who sent me emails don't mind my sending them on to the
list!
================================================================================
From: "Doug Koplow" <koplow@indecon.com>
To: <CRI@Container-Recycling.org>
Cc: <anderson@msn.fullfeed.com>
Subject: Re: [GRRN] All Bottle approach to plastic bottle recovery
Pat,
Peter Anderson has been looking at this issue from the perspective of
contamination and downgrading of the plastics stream. One other element
that is also relevant is that of pickup capacity. To the extent that all
bottles approaches drive up the tons of plastic recovered for disposal
rather than reprocessing, the recycling vehicles will fill up more quickly
with what is essentially trash.
Good luck with your research & please keep the NRC Policy Workgroup (via
Peter) apprised of your findings.
Regards,
Doug Koplow
_______________________________
Doug Koplow
Earth Track, Inc.
2067 Massachusetts Avenue - 4th Floor
Cambridge, MA 02140
Tel: 617/661-4700
Fax: 617/354-0463
E-mail: koplow@indecon.com
===============================================================================
From: Amy Perlmutter <amyp@chelseacenter.org>
Subject: All Plastic Bottle Recycling
My concern about all bottles-- or asking folks to recycle anything that
ultimately gets landfilled-- is that when the public finds out, which they
will, they will not understand why it is getting disposed after all their
efforts to separate and help the environment, and it might actually create
a backlash where they will not recycle at all anymore. I don't know if
it's worth the 10% more HDPE and PET for that risk.
==============================================================================
From: "Woody Raine" <WRAINE@tnrcc.state.tx.us>
To: <CRI@Container-Recycling.org>
Subject: Re: 'All Bottle' Recovery
Pat,
And then there's the approach considered by a few cities in Texas and soon
to be implemented by the City of Waco (pop. ~100K)--recover only fiber curbside.
Because of the cost of sorting, processing, and shipping glass, metal, and
plastic containers, the City decided to keep it simple and go for a
single-stream collection of only recyclable paper from households as they
kick-off their curbside recycling service next month. For them this is the
simplest way to provide a curbside service:
* Simplest collection--using single-compartment garbage trucks
* Simplest processing--light sorting & baling by an existing paper packer in
town
No glass even though the state's largest glass bottle plant is in Waco.
(Glass is beneficiated to be furnace-ready cullet in only Dallas and
Houston, which are >250 mile roundtrip.)
No plastic even though plastic prices have risen steadily.
No metal despite steady demand by local scrap dealers.
Instead these materials will continued to be collected at drop-off centers.
W. Woody Raine
Recycling Market Specialist
TNRCC
PO Box 13087 MC112
Austin, Texas 78711-3087
512-239-6316
fax: 512-239-6763
wraine@tnrcc.state.tx.us
================================================================================
From: Marjorie Haizlip, PR/PE Coord.
Subject: All Plastic Bottle Recycling
Pat,
I have basically only anecdotal evidence about the collection of plastic
bottles. Four years ago we expanded the curbside collection program in Wayne
County, New York, to include all hard plastic containers, #1 - #7. Pick up is
every other week at all houses in the County (pop. 100,000).
Our pass-through amount at the MRF remains around 4%, but the quantity of #1
& #2
plastic has geometrically increased. As you know, NY is a bottle bill state, so
we see very few soda bottles. We do collect the water and "new age" beverage
bottles.
Marjorie Haizlip, PR/PE Coord.
Western Finger Lakes
Solid Waste Management Authority
Lyons, NY 14489
315.946.7650
==============================================================================
From: Brenda Platt <bplatt@ilsr.org>
Subject: Re: All Bottle approach to plastic bottle recovery
Pat,
NSDA's press release didn't address what happens with bottles that are
collected but for which no local markets exist or how PVC bottles may
contaminant loads.
Brenda
Brenda A. Platt
Director, Materials Recovery
Institute for Local Self-Reliance
2425 18th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
Ph (202) 232-4108 fax (202) 332-0463
Web: <http://www.ilsr.org>
================================================================================
From: RESRECYCLE@aol.com
Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2000 18:15:55 EDT
Subject: Re: [GRRN] All Bottle approach to plastic bottle recovery
To: CRI@container-recycling.org
Pat: There's a growing volume of data on all-bottles recycling efforts,
given that the typical program in B.C., Washington, Oregon, etc. collect
these containers. My rough estimate is that as many as 200 communities are
doing all bottles. A general summary might look like this: making a #1/#2
program go to all-bottles doesn't affect collection too much if any (it adds
maybe 25-30 percent more plastics, the majority of which are PET and HDPE);
processing costs rise, although there are a growing number of domestic and
foreign firms buying totally mixed bales (obviously targeting the PET/HDPE);
PVC bottle markets are a bit stronger now (PVC bottle-resin use at maybe 185
million pounds per year is the major non-PET or HDPE resin); many of the
plastics that might become residue in an all bottles scheme are collected
anyway in a typical 1s and 2s program. In all, I look at one key factor:
Communities that go with the all-bottle approach (just as those that go with
the all-paper approach) don't change back. So I suspect that all bottle
programs, soon to be endorsed (probably) by NSDA, APR, APC, NAPCOR, etc., are
just another workable option for communities trying to boost recovery levels
a little bit. Just as you suggest, I suspect the bigger issue is how to
develop effective recovery systems for plastics generated outside the home.
Jerry
__________________
Resource Recycling
P.O. Box 42270
Portland, OR 97242-0270
(503) 233-1305, 233-1356 (fax)
www.resource-recycling.com (Web site)
=============================================================================
From: Steve Apotheker
-there was a recent article in _Resource Recycling_ on this subject... (the
article Steve is referring to was June 2000 "Breaking bottlenecks in plastic
bottle recovery")
============================================================================
=============================================================================
The original message that went out on GreenYes was. . . . . . . .
I'd be interested in feedback on the 'all bottle' approach to recycling
plastic bottles through curbside recycling programs. NSDA endorsed this
approach in a press release (Aug 30, 2000). I don't doubt that this would
increase the total number of plastic bottles recovered, and maybe even
increase PET and HDPE bottle recovery, but at what cost?
Has anyone seen any data comparing costs and PET bottle recovery of all
bottle programs to PET and HDPE only programs? The release states that APC
reports a 10 percent increase in PET and HDPE bottles, but I wonder how many
tons of bottles of other resin types are collected through curbside programs
and then landfilled.
The 'all bottle' curbside approach still doesn't address the problem of the
plastic soda (and other beverage) bottles consumed away from home. I don't
know exactly what percent that is but I would think it would be the majority.
Thanks!!!!!
Pat
Pat Franklin, Executive Director
Container Recycling Institute
1911 Ft Myer Drive, Suite 900
Arlington, Virginia 22209
703/276-9800 fax 276-9587
email: CRI@Container-Recycling.org
www.Container-Recycling.org
WWW.BottleBill.org
Here's the NSDA Press Release. . . . .
(Washington, DC) – The National Soft Drink Association (NSDA) announced its
support for the "All Bottles" concept of curbside recycling, a program
developed by the American Plastics Council (APC) to maximize recovery of
plastics from curbside recycling programs .
"Soft drink bottles, beginning with the two liter container, have been a
part of curbside collection programs since their inception," said Will Ball,
President of NSDA. "All of the plastic bottles distributed by our
members--whether for soft drinks, juices, water, or sports drinks--are
recyclable. The "All Bottles" concept is the most effective way to get this
message across. Many other household products, such as salad dressing,
peanut butter, and shampoo are now packaged in plastic bottles. This
program, with simple and straightforward message, is the best way to get the
most recyclable material from consumers’ households."
An estimated 20 percent of curbside recycling programs in the United States
use an "All Bottles" message for plastics. The other eighty percent
generally ask for plastics by resin code, usually numbers one and two. This
can cause confusion with consumers, because many of the non-bottle
containers made from these resin types, such as margarine tubs and yogurt
containers, are not recyclable. Curbside program operators and consumers who
have switched to the "All Bottles" message prefer its simplicity.
According to APC, programs that have changed to an all bottles message have
increased their capture of HDPE and PET bottles by more than 10 percent.
NSDA will participate in efforts to persuade municipal recycling
coordinators to adopt all bottle programs as the best way to maximize the
amount of plastic recovered through curbside recycling.
Soft drink containers continue to be America’s most recycled package. In
1999 more than 52 billion cans and bottles were recycled by America’s soft
drink consumers.
Pat Franklin, Executive Director
Container Recycling Institute
1911 Ft Myer Drive, Suite 900
Arlington, Virginia 22209
703/276-9800 fax 276-9587
email: CRI@Container-Recycling.org
www.Container-Recycling.org
WWW.BottleBill.org
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