[GreenYes] Re: Markets and Idealism vs. False Recycling

["David Biddle" <Dbiddle@no.address>]

Title: Re: [GreenYes] Markets and Idealism vs. False Recycling

Sounds like you need to regulate these MRFs. Here in PA if a facility is taking in mixed trash and claiming they are sorting it for recycling, that’s a special “mixed waste processing facility” regulated as a type of MSW transfer station. We had two companies try that here in the 1990s and they failed miserably and couldn’t deal with all the OSHA, DEP, and EPA regs.

We had another one a few years later that claimed to have some special paper recovery mechanism that let them fall under the guise of a MRF and escape MSW regulations. They piled up 20,000 bales of trash and skipped town in the middle of the night, leaving the city with a major cleanup nightmare. 

If you don’t regulate these guys, you will pay the price. 

-- 
David Biddle, Executive Director
<http://www.gpcrc.com>
Greater Philadelphia Commercial Recycling Council
P.O. Box 4037
Philadelphia, PA 19118

215-247-3090 (desk)
215-432-8225 (cell)

on 2/19/08 12:30 PM, RecycleBizCzar at Russell.Klein@no.address wrote:

> Municipal Program Reps:
>
> Would you encourage the practice of haulers who tell their clients:
>
> "Just throw all of your [insert commodity, e.g. plastic] in the bin,
> we'll sort it out when it gets here."
>
> I am **NOT** talking about singlestream practices.
>
> I am speaking of the practice of advising all tenants/visitors/
> employees of a facility to throw all plastics (for example) into the
> proper receptacle because the [dirty?] MRF is going to sift out what
> it wants later.
>
> In this region, narrow-necked 1s and 2s are the market standard.
>
> Practically or philosophically, what happens when the end-user is lead
> to believe s/he is recycling much more than the MRF is actually able
> to market.
>
> If the MRF actually holds items long enough to collect them in bulk
> from multiple haulers' routes... this _is_ what we want.
>
> If the MRF is landfilling the majority of plastic collected from
> consumers tossing *everything*...
> I don't like the idea of receptacles for "false" recycling.
>
> Any thoughts on the role of a municipality?