Improving Trash Management and Increasing Recycling

In some respects, recycling has been that quirky dancer on the earth’s ball room just when the beat begins to get up tempo. Diversion of glass, plastics, paper and anything else deemed reusable from waste streams has been side-stepped as much as it has been a rallying point for counties, cities, states and countries to promote a cleaner environment. Pessimism, lack of participation, high costs and contamination have cast shadows on a planet-friendly practiced that has come more into focus in recent years. Recycling isn’t anything new – it’s been around for ages in some form or another – and is a part of the world’s sustainability conversation. Just about everywhere in the U.S., large-scale recycling programs operate within waste management programs at high business and tax-payer expense. Yet, buy-in has been conditional and generational. EPA estimates that of the 251 million cubic tons of waste generated each year in the U.S. that only a third is recycled or composted. A 2019 Harris Poll, which surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. adults, found that Americans ages 18-34 are less likely to recycle compared to adults 35 and older. Also, 65 percent of Americans said they wouldn’t recycle if it’s inconvenient. Others are simply skeptical that it’s a worthwhile cause. Some cities that adopted recycling programs in recent years have shut them down. The latest off-beat tango is pressure from a key international recycling partner who has rejected shipments because of contamination. China takes in about 40 percent of U.S. recyclables – including paper and plastics – but two years ago kicked back contaminated material. Much of it is feared to have wound up in U.S. landfills, and contamination fees have gone up 300 percent. Yet, recycling continues to find its rhythm. New York City and San Francisco are adopting lofty goals to achieve 90 percent or better in waste diversion, meaning that all but 10 percent of &...