Recycling efficiency: The shape of things to come
- Environmental Industry Associations, Washington, DC (United States)
In the mid-`70s, curbside recycling was easy. Virtually all the programs collected only newspaper at the curbside. They were placed in a rack beneath the garbage truck or in a trailer behind the truck. Of course, the rack might fill up too soon, but that was a minor problem, usually resolved by offloading sites for the newspaper. Today, curbside recycling is much more complicated. Curbside programs can collect a bewildering array of materials, including plastics, mixed paper, and even textiles. The simple rack is in the Smithsonian, replaced by highly sophisticated vehicles. Some can automatically collect recyclables without the driver ever getting out of the cab. Simplicity, it seems, has given way to complexity as recycling rates have skyrocketed. The recycling industry has been buffeted recently by a slew of anti-recycling articles in the popular press, yet, ironically, it has been enjoying the best markets has blunted the anti-recyclers. However, bull markets are not forever. Recyclers cannot afford to adopt a ``What, me worry?`` attitude towards the business of recycling. As collectors become increasingly skilled in collecting recyclables, they can translating these skills into more efficient programs.
- OSTI ID:
- 103941
- Journal Information:
- Waste Age, Journal Name: Waste Age Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 26; ISSN WAGEAE; ISSN 0043-1001
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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