[greenyes] Re: greenyes Digest 24 Nov 2004 22:35:29 -0000 Issue 290

[RickHlavka@no.address]

And don't forget the impact of container deposits (can't believe you forgot 
to mention that, Pat!).  Over the past few years I've been digging through 
materials in Oregon (which is not single stream but varying levels of commingling) 
and Washington State (where there is no deposit), and by comparison there is 
a very noticeable absence of deposit containers in Oregon's recycling stream.  
 

In tests of single-stream materials in a suburb of King County, Washington, 
we found that there wasn't a huge difference in the composition of the 
materials collected before and after single stream was implemented.  The prior program 
was a 3-bin approach that had newspapers separated from other fibers and then 
all containers in a third bin.  Pus, what differences we did see in the 
composition could be attributed to seasonal variations (there were fewer aluminum 
cans and PET bottles in February than in July).  We also found that about 
one-third of the glass was crushed into small pieces in the collection vehicle.

Rick Hlavka
Green Solutions
360-897-9533
PO Box 680
South Prairie, WA 98385


> Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2004 16:12:02 -0500
> To: "Jerry Powell" <jpowell@no.address>,
>   <greenyes@no.address>
> From: "Pat Franklin" <pfranklin@no.address>
> Subject: RE: [greenyes] Single-stream composition
> Message-ID: <NFBBILMKILHOHCBHKMOPKEMGHAAA.pfranklin@no.address>
> 
> AMEN Jerry!  Aluminum  beverage can sales vary from region to region and so
> do glass and plastic beverage bottle sales.  This is due in part to climate,
> marketing and regional preferences, but also because beverage sales vary by
> region.  There is a much higher per capita consumption of beer and soda in
> the southeast and southwest and higher per capita consumption of bottled
> water and other non-carbonated drinks in the northeast and pacific coast.
> 
>