07JUL2008

Your Questions: Recycling in Springfield

Frank Miller writes a blog about living green in Greene County. He recently sent an e-mail to Barbara Lucks, the City’s Materials Recovery/Education Coordinator, with a series of questions about specific recycling issues.

We thought the questions were interesting and Barbara’s responses were instructive and asked Frank and Barbara for permission to post the Q&A here to spread the word even more. For more ideas about living green in Greene County, check out Frank’s blog.

Some information I've read about recycling plastic indicates that #7 plastic can't be recycled. Yet, #7 plastics are listed on the Springfield recycling bins with mixed plastic. Is it okay to recycle #7 plastic in Springfield or have I misread the bins? If so, what about the #7 plastic based on organic materials (i.e. corn) - should these be treated differently?

More than 90 percent of the plastic generated falls into the #1 or #2 category. The others, numbers 3 through 7, account for a very small quantity of total plastic used in manufacturing various packaging options and, therefore, available for recycling. Our current contractor can take a wide variety of plastics – hence the numbers 1 - 7. There are, however, some exceptions within those categories that the contractor is unable to use. Technically, all plastic is capable of being recycled. The roadblock usually comes from not having a market for it — someone who wants to use it. We currently have markets for the numbers 1 - 7 with the exceptions of the deli containers, foam cups, egg cartons, meat trays, food wrap and bags, and cereal box liners. So, the typical #7s (condiment bottles, syrup/jelly bottles, etc.) are fine. The corn- and potato-based containers, which are biodegradable, can be thrown in the trash. They are designed to be composted (though we currently don’t have a large-scale food waste composter in our area) or put in the trash. Unlike “real” plastic, these will decompose in the landfill in a matter of months.

I recently read that the caps on plastic bottles are not usually the same type of plastic as the rest of the bottle and should be thrown away. However, since Springfield recycles plastics #1 - 7 and has them all placed in the same bin, is it possible to include the caps in the recycling? Should they be unscrewed from the bottles?

In “earlier recycling times,” we were asked to remove the lids and toss them away, recycling only the containers. Today, since there are now markets for the plastics from which the lids are made AND because processors actually prefer the containers mashed flat and the lids screwed on them to keep them flat, we suggest leaving the lids on to keep the containers flat, thereby taking up less space in the recycling containers. Plastic is so light that when you haul a load of plastic, if you aren’t careful, you’re hauling about l/2 load of plastic and l/2 load of air. Too expensive!

Should we recycle ONLY pieces of plastic that have a recycle symbol and number on them and throw away anything that does not, or can we assume that all plastic is covered by numbers 1 - 7?

There are actually some formulae of plastic that, because of one or more of the “ingredients,” are not recyclable. These do not bear the recycling symbol. Occasionally, there will be some recyclable plastic that doesn’t have a number on it, but those are the exception. My advice would be to heed the number and if there is no recycling symbol and number, consider it a specially formulated plastic of some kind and don’t attempt to recycle it.

Are the metal lids on glass containers (spaghetti jar lids, jelly jar lids) recyclable in the tin/steel bin? If so, sometimes they have plastic and cardboard linings. Do these need to be removed?

The metal jar lids are recyclable in the tin/steel bins. Liners should be removed if possible. There is some discussion about the painted on or molded plastic lid liners. That material is actually considered a contaminant, but I choose to err on the side of putting something in the bin that might be okay, rather than pitching something with value.

I've read that shredded paper cannot be recycled because it clogs up the recycling machinery. I've also read that wrapping paper is not recyclable. However, in Springfield, we recycle paper for pet litter. The Purina Web site says that wrapping paper is acceptable and offers shredding services. So can we recycle shredded paper and wrapping paper here in Springfield because it is made into pet litter? What about foil wrapping paper?

We are very fortunate to have the Nestle Purina PetCare Company here in Springfield. Besides the wide variety of papers they accept, they also offer the free shredding services. Shredded paper is fine for their purposes. Wrapping paper is also readily accepted as long as it is plain paper — no foil or plastic wrapping paper. Those would be considered a contaminant and would be removed before being were added to the manufacturing process.

Frank's Note: Even the local media reported that you couldn't recycle wrapping paper this past December. The key is to make sure you are depositing shredded paper in a "Big Green Bin" — they are clearly marked as such. They are not only located in Springfield, but throughout southwest Missouri.

I get that the recyclable pasteboard includes cereal boxes, tissue boxes, etc., but it's hard to tell at which point the boxes start having a plastic or wax coating that would be inappropriate for recycling. Is there any good way to tell if there is a coating on the pasteboard? Do I look at shininess? I'm thinking of cosmetics boxes and frozen foods boxes in particular.

These can be confusing, but there are a couple of tricks. First, if you scrape your finger along the package and wax comes up, it is not recyclable. The wax is a contaminant. Just because it’s shiny doesn’t mean it can’t be recycled with paper. TV dinner boxes are fine to recycle. Second, if the material can be torn, it is most likely paper and fine to recycle with the mixed paper. Plastic material usually can’t be torn.

Frank's Note: The pasteboard goes in the Big Green Bin to become pet litter. A worker from Fiber Management also told me that I could deposit pasteboard in the City of Republic's cardboard bin.

I took some compact fluorescent light bulbs to the household waste collection center, but they said that EPA/DNR were telling them to have people put the CFLs in Ziplock bags and dispose of them in the regular trash. The Computer Recycling Center says that they take them, but I haven't called to verify what they do with CFLs, if anything. So, what's the best way to dispose of CFLs in Springfield?

There is probably some confusion here regarding the proper disposal of a broken bulb vs. one that’s simply burned out. The procedure you describe is what has been recommended for a broken bulb; however, intact bulbs should go to the Household Chemical Collection Center or to the Computer Recycling Center. Both facilities deal with a certified recycler.

Frank's Note: The CFL bulbs that I took the Household Chemical Collection Center were intact bulbs. I've kept them and will try again. It sounds like there has been some confusion about this.

Can you recycle aluminum foil in the aluminum bin? Does the cleanliness of the foil make a difference or would the recycling process, which presumably includes melting it all down, purge the foils of impurities?

Technically, our contractor will accept aluminum foil for recycling along with the aluminum beverage containers. During the processing, yes, food waste would be removed; however, the food waste invites critters both at our center and at the processor. My advice would be, if you remove any food waste from your aluminum foil, it will not hurt anything to recycle it in the aluminum bin.

Frank's Note: It sounds like it's pretty important to keep the foil clean, otherwise don't recycle it. With my garage-based recycling center, I really try to make sure all of the recyclables are clean so that I can keep the vermin away!

posted by Mike Brothers, Public Information

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