Re: [GreenYes] glass recovery from commingled curbside program

["Steve Hammer" <shammer@wastesaver.com>]

Eric,

I saw these in many neighborhoods while passing through Paris last summer.
I wasn't certain how/why they existed, since residents also made use of
small toters that appeared to be collected 1-2 days a week by Onyx, the
private hauler who services Paris.

Another option that's been floated around here (to mixed reaction) is to
eliminate glass from the curbside program, and establish buyback centers
where it can be redeemed for cash.  Obviously, how much should be paid for a
relatively low value material is key.  We don't have any glass mills nearby,
although we do have a few companies that would be interested in
locating/expanding here if they got clean cullet.

What do others think of this idea?

Steve Hammer
(w) 212-645-9912
shammer@wastesaver.com

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Hi all,

This has been a fun dialogue... but here's why I asked the question.
First of all, many folks missed the fact that I wasn't calling into
question the recycling of glass, I was asking about curbside collection
vs drop-off.  And the reason this is important is because my vision of
where recycling needs to be going is toward a 2-Sort wet/dry collection
and processing system.  And on the "dry" side, glass is really the only
major concern I have about messing up the quality of the discards and
fouling up the equipment in the automated MRF of the future.

So, I'm thinking that maybe we need to have lots of public "igloos" for
glass scattered around a community that get serviced by the "hook and
dump" trucks once every two weeks or so.

What's the feedback to this idea?

Eric Lombardi
Executive Director
EcoCycle, Inc
Boulder, CO
www.ecocycle.org
303-444-6634


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-greenyes@grrn.org [mailto:owner-greenyes@grrn.org] On Behalf
Of Susan Hubbard
Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2002 11:11 AM
To: eric@ecocycle.org; michele@raymond.com
Cc: greenyes@grrn.org; shammer@wastesaver.com
Subject: Re: [GreenYes] glass recovery from commingled curbside program

Are you folks familiar with the expression 'highest and best use?" Glass
is more than heavy - it is a highly recyclable packaging material. For
all of the sermons I've read on this list about dealing with these
issues on the front end - in the design of the product...we have now
come to the conclusion that glass has less value than plastic (a very
difficult material to recycle) so let's just dump it.

What is it we are are being asked to do or believe?

zero waste from design or the easiest things to recycle and everything
else goes in the trash?




Susan Hubbard
President/CEO
Eureka Recycling ( a non profit organization
created by the Neighborhood Energy Consortium)
624 Selby Ave.
Saint Paul, MN  55104
651/222-7678
Fax: 651/221-9831

>>> Eric Lombardi <eric@ecocycle.org> 03/13/02 09:39AM >>>
Hi Michele,

You're a brave woman to say this ... and it makes me wonder if its true?
Can anyone out there make a "compelling environmental reason" to collect
curbside glass?   The key statement here is "curbside" as opposed to
recycling glass through drop-off centers.

Eric Lombardi
EcoCycle

Michele Raymond wrote:

> It may be heavy, but there is no compelling environmental reason to
collect
> glass curbside.
>
> They should try to collect plastic and aluminum,as they have higher
> value.  Just a personal observation
> Glass contaminates other streams too.
> Michele Raymond
>
> At 03:24 PM 3/12/02 -0500, Steve Hammer wrote:
> >As you're probably aware, NYC is in the thick of a debate over its
metal
> >glass and plastic recycling program.
> >
> >One of the most contentious issues is what to do about glass -- the
city
> >claims that markets have essentially disappeared, and now simply
counts all
> >glass collected as part of the 40% residue rate coming out of the
processing
> >facilities that sort the material.
> >
> >Obviously, part of the problem is the way it's collected and
processed --
> >compacted in a packer truck, dumped onto a concrete floor, and then
jostled
> >on a conveyor belt to a picking line.  Very little remains intact.
> >
> >I'm interested in learning more about the markets that other
(preferably
> >large) cities have found for their material.  Using Chaz Miller's
Waste Age
> >profile from a few months ago, are we destined to low value
applications
> >(fill, cover replacement, glassphalt)?
> >
> >What steps have other cities taken to ensure they have a marketable
cullet?
> >Are redemption centers or curbside sorting the only way to achieve a
> >marketable material?
> >
> >Thanks for any feedback you can provide.
> >
> >
> >Steve Hammer
> >(w) 212-645-9912
> >shammer@wastesaver.com
> >
> >
> >
> >******************************************
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>
> Michele Raymond
> Publisher
> Recycling Laws International/ State Recycling Laws Update
> 5111 Berwyn Rd. Ste 115 College Park, MD 20740)
> 301/345-4237   Fax 345-4768
> http://www.raymond.com
>
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>
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--
ÐÏࡱá


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