Recycling.
The most popular and famous of the 3R’s! Everyone knows about it, and most times, it is the only “R” people associate with the famous arrow triangles. There are other R’s in that famous circle of arrows that must get more attention. But let’s talk a little more about recycling first. Recycling is the most questioned process of the three. Thanks to misinformation, the most popular belief is that having a recycling system in place is a “waste” of time because the materials end up in the landfill anyway and are not actually recycled. So let’s get into it and do a little debunking, shall we?
Recycling Considerations as Part of a Waste Management Strategy
Recycling is often the first step or introduction to managing waste in business operations. While recycling remains vital to zero-waste strategies, it should be part of a broader waste-management strategy. To shift the perspective on recycling and to effectively manage materials recycling, we need to understand what makes recycling successful and how it supports the circular economy. So let’s take a look!
When developing a recycling plan, it is important to understand what makes something recyclable and determine whether the material has a commodity value. Some questions to answer about material recyclability include:
- Can it be recycled? For example, many plastics contain multiple resins in the same packaging that require energy-intensive processes to break down and separate and can create additional environmental chemical pollutants.
- Is there an end market? Can buyers make new products from this material?
- What is the value of the sale of the material? Compare the cost to collect, sort, and transport the material against the market purchase price.
- Should it be recycled? Are there alternatives that consume less energy and are less expensive in the value chain?
Enter the MRF
A Material Recovery Facility (MRF) is a facility where single-stream recycling is sorted and remanufactured as commodities for resale and supports the recycling infrastructure. MRFs are not waste management facilities but receive material stock after recovery. Commodities are sold to other manufacturers as stock to make new products and replace the need to extract more resources. There are specifications and grades for certain materials that are internationally recognized so that manufacturers can invest in systems to continually use those materials in their processes. Depending on the location of the MRF and the commodity value, the materials that can be manufactured for repurpose and remanufacture may vary.
Some of the most common MRF materials include (not an exclusive list and varies by location):
- Cardboard
- Paper
- Aluminum
- Steel
- Glass
- PET packaging (#1)
- HDPE bottles, natural and colored (#2)
Waste Hauling Cost Savings
Recycling is also highly beneficial in reducing waste management costs. Many municipalities have contract incentives with waste management companies to increase business participation in recycling, resulting in reduced hauling costs of up to 20%. As we learn, adapt, and innovate new ways to transform the linear process, recycling will still play a major part in moving towards circular solutions.
Contact CRCL Sustainability to identify areas where you can save money and resources by utilizing recycling!