Recycling, in theory, should come naturally to us by now. We’ve been doing it since the 1980s. Paper, plastic, cans, and bottles. What could be simpler? These are, in fact, the mainstays of the household recycling list. But depending on the sorters and buyers of these products, the types of paper, plastic, cans, and bottles that are accepted changes over time.
Case in point, this past December some confusion ensued on a community Facebook site after a post from Niverville’s town council regarding which types of paper can and cannot be recycled. Unlike previous years, residents could now recycle gift wrap. But not paper plates.
So what changed?
The Levels of Recycling
Recycling is the process of getting disposable products from a resident’s blue box to a manufacturer interested in repurposing those materials. This process includes a pick-up company to retrieve the loads, a sorting company to receive, separate, and bale the material, and a buyer willing to pay the sorter for those materials. Typically, municipal councils choose the pick-up company, the pick-up company chooses the sorter, and the sorter finds the buyer.
When the public is advised of a change to what they can recycle, the buyer is most likely the cause. Why? Because as with any business, the main principle driving recycling is profit.
According to the Miller Recycling Corporation(MRC),a large American recycler, China is the largest purchaser of the world’s recycled materials. In fact, much of the world’s manufacturing has relocated there to take advantage of cheap labour and technological advancements.
“With a majority of the recycling industry’s‘eggsin one basket,’ when China’s economy slowed so did the demand for these commodities and prices plunged,” writes Randy Miller of MRC.“Itis a commonly known fact in the recycling industry[that]when markets are‘soft,’and supply exceeds demand… foreign buyers become particular about the material they are buying. They no longer need to tolerate contaminated material—and commonly reject loads they have accepted in the past. This puts further strain on the US based recycling markets, and recyclers that are trying to remain profitable.”1
But the buyer isn’t the only one who determines which items we can throw into our blue bins and which we can’t. The sorting facility chosen by our local pick-up company also has an influence. Most sorting facilities have staff members dedicated to seeking out buyers. If there is a buyer for a particular product and the price they’re paying substantiates the cost to separate, bail, and ship it, then it’s blue bin worthy. Thus, what’s accepted in Niverville and Ritchot might be different than what’s accepted in the City of Winnipeg.
Miller, GFL, and Emterra are a few of the big players in Manitoba. Rural services include Eastman Recycling Services out of Steinbach and SMILE of St. Malo Inc. Niverville has used both of these facilities in the past, but due to their small size they are no longer able to handle the quantity of recycling generated by Niverville’s residents.
Since the introduction of the larger blue bins to both Niverville and Ritchot, all recyclable materials now go to a sorting company in Winnipeg. Bristal Hauling is the pick-up company for Niverville and G&R Garbage Disposal out of St. Malo covers Ritchot.
Why Sorting Should Begin At Home
Packaging manufacturers are driven by social change to produce recyclable packaging, which is why many of our plastic and paper products are labelled recyclable. The reality is a bit more complicated. When making these claims, they hold to a number of assumptions that aren’t necessarily true—that there’s a current demand for the product and that the local sorter has a buyer lined up.
Therefore, the labels can be unreliable. Some plastic grocery bags, for example, state that they are recyclable even though there aren’t any sorters in Manitoba who have buyers for them. That means they’re non-recyclable in our area. It’s always best to check your local municipal website or the pick-up company’s website for currently acceptable products.
The condition of the products we pitch into the blue box is also subject to change based on demand. It wasn’t long ago that Recycle Manitoba held an advertising campaign indicating that it wasn’t necessary to rinse our recyclables. But today, products will get thrown into a dumpster and sent to the landfill if they aren’t rinsed and relatively clean.
Remember the three R’s? Reduce, reuse, recycle. Well, it seems we need to consider a fourth R: refuse.
That said, Emanuel Toews of Bristal Hauling is generally happy with the way Niverville residents are sorting their garbage.
“So far, [our sorting company has] always been accepting our material,” says Toews.“Theydon’t have too many complaints about it. Once there’s too much[non-recyclable]garbage, they say something. We don’t pick up the recyclables at the residence if they have too much garbage[mixedin]. We’ve had some[occasions]where people will put all kinds of yard waste or diapers in. That’s where we draw the line.”
Toews says that his recycling pick-up drivers can exit the cab and pull a lever to see exactly what people are putting in their bins. The town will be notified should a resident demonstrate non-compliance, at which point, Toews says, the resident may be refused further pick-up services.
“The problem with putting stuff in your blue bin that isn’t accepted in the recycling system, whether that’s an orange peel or a type of plastic that’s not accepted, is it can reduce the value of the load that’s being sold and it can potentially… even mean that some of the recycling loads have to be thrown in the garbage, which is exactly what we don’t want when we’re recycling,” said Teresa Looy of the Green Action Centre to CBC News.[1]
But why should we care about all this? Why should we take the time to rinse, sort, and stay abreast of recycling changes? If not for environmental reasons, then the answer is, once again, profit.
Recycling Pays
Multi-Material Stewardship Manitoba(MMSM)is an industry-funded non-profit organization that operates the province-wide recycling program. MMSM collects levies from industry stewards for a large variety of recyclable products. This accounts for 80 percent of the costs incurred to recycle. Municipalities pay the remaining 20 percent.
In turn, municipalities recover a monetary kickback based on the tonnage of recyclable materials they send to the sorter. In 2017, Niverville received almost $110,000 in reimbursement from MMSM. There is no monetary gain when sending garbage to the landfill, only a cost.
Toews says the cost of taking garbage to a landfill is significantly higher than taking it to a sorting company. But the cost of sorting goes up, too, if the recyclable materials are too contaminated with non-recyclable garbage.
“If our whole province is recycling better, then everyone’s rates can come down,” Toews says.“That’swhy they try and persuade everyone in Manitoba to know how to recycle.”
What Can We Recycle Right Now?
For the blue bins, it’s fairly simple: aluminum and tin cans, paper of almost every variety, cardboard(includingmilk cartons and tetra juice packs), and plastics with the numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7. Acceptable plastic products include soft drink bottles, milk jugs, ice cream pails, margarine and yogurt containers, shampoo and liquid laundry detergent containers, and condiments bottles.
The list of what’s not accepted is much longer and a quick check of your pick-up company’s website can clarify this list for you. The short list includes aluminum foil; Styrofoam; coffee pods, cups, and lids; paper towels, plates, napkins, and tissues; food pouch packaging; plastic cutlery; wax paper; and plastic bags.
Bristal Hauling provides its own recycling services for many items you can’t throw into the blue bin. These include steel, batteries, electronics, and tires, all accepted at no cost to the person dropping it off.
Old paint can be brought in its original container to Wm. Dyck and Sons in Niverville. Many other retail outlets also offer recycling drop-off for items such as ink and toner cartridges, unused medications, and hazardous waste materials.
In the end, we all can and should do our part. In the words of Robert Swan, a polar explorer and advocate for environmental issues,“Thegreatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”
