Recycling curbside

The State of New Jersey s Mandatory Recycling Act requked counties and municipalities to recycle 60% of the municipal soUd waste stream by 1995 (1). Although the law does not requke curbside collection systems, this is by far the most popular recycling collection method in New Jersey. By 1993, New Jersey reached a 46% recycling rate and led the United States in recycling. 

Generally, recyclables are either coUected at curbside or deposited by consumers at various types of drop-off locations, such as local recycling centers, community service clubs, dealers, and commercial buyback centers. Curbside coUections of recyclables can be accompUshed either in conjunction with the pickup of aU MSW or as a separate activity. Co-coUection systems range from complete commingling of aU waste for later separation at a mixed waste processing facility to transporting essentially source-separated recyclables in the same tmck as MSW. 

Recycling is not the total answer to the soUd waste problem. However, efficiently operated recycling programs can easily divert 35% or more of municipal soUd waste away from disposal. Curbside coUection systems offer the opportunity to coUect the greatest amount of recyclables in the most cost-efficient manner. It is imperative that communities and recyclers operate programs that are glass-friendly and which result in color-separated, contaminant-free material. 

Recycling programs have been remarkably successful in the United States since the 1960s. In 2000, there were curbside "source separation" recycling programs in 9,250 communities. In addition, there were 3,800 separate programs for the collection of yard trimmings. As already noted, resource recovery plants had become somewhat less popular, with just over 100 such plants in operation in 2000. These plants had a total daily capacity of 95,700 short tons (87,000 metric tons) of wastes. 

Some curbside recycling programs allow the commingling of materials that are easily separated to save work for the consumer. For example, steel can easily be separated from aluminum by use of a magnet. 

At curbside many communities are collecting aluminum and tin cans, glass bottles, newspaper and plastic bottles. High-density polyethylene (HOPE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are the most commonly recycled plastic bottles. Some areas that have a market for other plastics also pick them up for recycling. Sorting is done to some degree by the resident, the collector, and the reprocessor. 

The waste plastics utilized at the SPR plant are the household waste plastics specified by the Containers Packaging Recycling Law and marked as recyclable on the each of the products. The waste plastics are discharged at curbside by residents once per week, and collected, sorted, compacted in bale form by the local government, which then snpplies the SPR plant. 

According to the American Plastics Council (APC), more than 80 percent of all U.S. households have access to a plastics recycling program, and about 17,000 communities now collect plastics for recycling, half of which offer residents curbside collection. However, all types of plastics are not collected for recycling in all communities. It varies from place to place. Of course, the items most commonly recycled are plastic bottles. 

In the mid-1980s, residual curbside recycling program started in many states, especially in areas where landfilling costs were skyrocketing due to the lack... 

Curbside Separations by Consumers In the last few years, manufacturers of containers (and some film products) have inttoduced an identification code which enables consumers to segregate products by polymer type [13], Thus, almost every bottle and many bags and cups now bear a recycling triangle with number and letter... 

HOPE high density polyethylene milk bottles, detergent bottles, mixing bowls, toys, plastic bags compost bins, detergent bottles, curbside recycling bins... 

PP polypropylene yogurt containers, grocery bags, carpet fiber, food wrap, luggage compost bins, curbside recycling bins... 

R. G. Saba and W. E. Peeurson, Curbside Recycling Infrastructure A pragmatic approadi in Plastics, Rubber and Paper Recycling A pragmatic approach, C. P. Rader et al. Eds., American Chemical Society Washington D.C., pp. 11-26 (1995). 

In the United States, recycling of HDPE bottles through curbside collection and dropoff systems is very common. According to the American Plastics Council, more than 20,000 American communities have access to plastics recycling. 

Like HDPE, PET bottles are collected through most curbside and drop-off recycling programs in the United States. In nine states, PET soft drink bottles... 

EPIC, Best Practices Guide for the Collection and Handling of Polyethylene Plastic Bags and Film in Municipal Curbside Recycling Programs, The Environment and Plastics Industry Council, Mississauga, Ontario, 1998. 

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