What happens to my recyclables?
After your recyclables are collected they are transported to the Springfield Materials Recycling Facility (MRF, pronounced merf). The recyclable mixed paper is placed into large tractor trailers and hauled to a paper mill for recycling. The bottles and cans (containers) are sorted using mechanical equipment. Sorting is also done by people as the material moves along a conveyor belt. Once the containers are sorted into type (aluminum, plastic, glass, etc.) they are baled or crushed. After this process, they are hauled to a variety of companies that use the material as feedstock for new products.
How do I know what materials are recyclable in my community, and where can I take these materials to be recycled? What's Recyclable
Local Recycling Information
Is recycling mandatory?
Every municipality in western Massachusetts that sends recyclables to the Springfield MRF has a mandatory recycling ordinance. Check with your town clerk for specific language about mandatory recycling in your town.
Why is it important to sort my recyclables according to guidelines?
The processing facility is made up of sorting mechanisms designed to produce the highest quality materials at a manageable cost. Too much time spent handpicking contaminants out of the material stream or unclogging machinery increases expenses and decreases the quality of material that is sold to end-markets. It is important to remember that your recycled materials will be used to make new products so it is important to follow the guidelines on what is recyclable.
What happens to the materials that aren’t recyclable? Don’t they just get recycled anyway?
As much as we would like to recycle everything we receive, market demand limits what can be recycled. We cannot collect and process materials if there is no one to buy them. Similarly, if we include too much “junk” with our materials (such as plastic pools or laundry baskets mixed in with milk jugs), we risk losing buyers or getting a lower price for our materials. In fact, the recycling facility has to pay a disposal fee for materials that can’t be recycled.
What does it mean when recyclables are contaminated?
Recyclables become contaminated when unacceptable materials are placed with the recyclables, making it impossible to recycle effectively. Some examples of contamination are food spilled on otherwise clean paper or cardboard, or non-recyclable items, such as flower pots or window glass, mixed in with the containers.
What product is taking up the most space in landfills in the United States?The item most frequently encountered in MSW landfills is plain old paper — on average it accounts for more than 40 percent of a landfill's contents. This proportion has held steady for decades and in some landfills has actually risen. Newspapers alone can take up as much as 13 percent of the space in US landfills.
Organic materials, including paper, do not easily biodegrade once they are disposed of in a landfill. Paper is many times more resistant to deterioration when compacted in a landfill than when it is in open contact with the atmosphere. Research by William Rathje, who runs the Garbage Project, has shown that, when excavated from a landfill, newspapers from the 1960s can be intact and readable.
What materials are most commonly recycled in the United States through collection programs?U.S. recycling rates for commonly recycled consumer goods in 2005 are listed below:
Newspapers: 88.9 percent
Corrugated Cardboard Boxes: 71.5 percent
Steel Cans: 62.9 percent
Yard Trimmings: 61.9 percent
Aluminum Beer and Soft Drink Cans: 44.8 percent
Magazines: 38.5 percent
Plastic Soft Drink Bottles: 34.1 percent
Plastic HDPE Milk and Water Bottles: 28.8 percent
Glass Containers: 25.3 percent
Scrap Tires: 35.6 percent
What effects do waste prevention and recycling have on global warming?
Everyone knows that reducing waste is good for the environment because it conserves natural resources. What many people don't know is that solid waste reduction and recycling also have an impact on global climate change.
The manufacture, distribution, and use of products — as well as management of the resulting waste — all result in greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases, which trap heat in the upper atmosphere, occur naturally and help create climates that sustain life on our planet. Increased concentrations of these gases, though, can contribute to rising global temperatures, sea level changes, and other climate changes.
Waste prevention and recycling — jointly referred to as waste reduction — help us better manage the solid waste we generate. But reducing waste is a potent strategy for reducing greenhouse gases because it can:
Reduce emissions from energy consumption. Recycling saves energy. Manufacturing goods from recycled materials typically requires less energy than producing goods from virgin materials. When people reuse goods or when products are made with less material, less energy is needed to extract, transport, and process raw materials and to manufacture products. When energy demand decreases, fewer fossil fuels are burned and less carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere.
Reduce emissions from incinerators. Recycling and waste prevention divert materials from incinerators and thus reduce greenhouse gas emissions from waste combustion.
Reduce methane emissions from landfills. Waste prevention and recycling (including composting) divert organic wastes from landfills, reducing the methane that would be released if these materials decomposed in a landfill.
Increase storage of carbon in forests. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in wood in a process called "carbon sequestration." Waste prevention and recycling paper products allows more trees to remain standing in the forest, where they can continue to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
How does recycling save energy?
Harvesting, extracting, and processing the raw materials used to manufacture new products is an energy-intensive activity. Reducing or nearly eliminating the need for these processes, therefore, achieves huge savings in energy. Recycling aluminum cans, for example, saves 95 percent of the energy required to make the same amount of aluminum from its virgin source, bauxite. The amount of energy saved differs by material, but almost all recycling processes achieve significant energy savings compared to production using virgin materials.
In 2000, recycling resulted in an annual energy savings of at least 660 trillion BTUs, which equals the amount of energy used in 6 million households annually. In 2005, recycling is conservatively projected to save 900 trillion BTUs, equal to the annual energy use of 9 million households.
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How do I know what plastic is recyclable?
Think Bottles and Containers!
- All plastic food and beverage bottles
- Most plastic food containers
- Most other plastic bottles under two gallons in size
Just a few exceptions:
- Styrofoam cups and trays and microwave trays are not recyclable.
- If the bottle contained motor oil, antifreeze, pesticides, herbicides, adhesives, paints, or solvents, it cannot be recycled. The residue from motor oil and chemicals seeps into the plastic and contaminates it.
See our Plastics Recycling Brochure for a specific list of what types of plastics can be recycled.
Are plastic bags recyclable at the MRF?
No! Plastic bags, plastic wrap,
and other plastic “film” are not recyclable.
Do not put your paper or containers in plastic bags prior to
recycling. Plastic bags are a serious
contaminant and litter problem at the recycling facility. Check with your grocery store to see if they
accept clean grocery bags for recycling and if so, what are their guidelines. If they don’t accept them ask them to begin a
recycling program.
I know I should wash out my cans, bottles and jars for recycling, but I'm not sure how clean they need to be. What about oil bottles?
Just one rinse for recycling should be sufficient, even for vegetable oil bottles. Cans, jars and bottles that are rinsed before recycling are cleaner and thus more valuable. Also, clean containers are less attractive to bugs. Remember to remove bottle caps before recycling. Also, motor oil containers cannot be recycled.
Can I recycle Styrofoam?
Styrofoam is a brand name for the material made from a type of plastic called polystyrene. Polystyrene is not recyclable in western Massachusetts.
Why can’t prescription or vitamin bottles be recycled?
Prescription and vitamin bottles go through a different manufacturing process and, as a result, do not have the same melting temperature as other plastic bottles. (You’ll notice they are much, much harder than other narrow-necked bottles.) They have a different consistency at the same melting temperature (sometimes thinking of "soup" versus "pudding" is helpful), making them incompatible in a re-manufacturing process. It's the same reason plastic bottle tops can't be recycled, no matter their number.
Can I recycle a motor oil bottle with a #2 on the bottom?
No. Motor oil residue has become one of the biggest contaminants for our plastics markets. The residue seeps into the porous plastic and cannot be removed through the washing process. Of course you should never try to rinse or wash a motor oil bottle yourself since motor oil down the sink or storm drain causes a much larger environmental crisis than a plastic bottle in the trash. A motor oil bottle in a pile of plastics could potentially contaminate a whole batch of otherwise-recyclable materials and cause the whole lot to be sent to the landfill.
Do I need to step on my plastic containers before recycling?
No, you don’t have to step on plastic before recycling it. Some plastic, like milk jugs, is easy to step on and it saves space in the recycling container. Other plastic will just “spring back” when stepped on. Never step on plastic when it’s on the ground because it will pick up dirt and stones which are not recyclable.
Are black, #1 microwaveable containers recyclable?
No. Black plastic is not recyclable because of the dye. This includes microwaveable trays as well as other items.
Why can't I recycle plant pots? Plant pots can't be recycled because the plastic is too dark to be used in new products. Also, there can't be any type of dirt or residue in the recycling process. A local garden store may take them for reuse.
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Can pizza boxes be recycled?Yes and no. Paper mills require clean paper for recycling. If you remove the insert or have a pizza box without grease on it, then it can be recycled. If the box has cheese or oil residue then it can’t be recycled, will be considered a contaminant, and must be put in your trash.
Can I recycle paper plates, paper towels, and tissues?None of these items can be recycled. Paper plates have a plastic liner built in which keeps them from breaking when they have food on them. Plates without the plastic liner can’t be recycled because of food residue. Paper towels and facial tissue (such as Kleenex) have short fibers that can’t be recycled.
Do I have to remove self-adhesive notes (such as Post-it) from paper products before I recycle them? No, most self-adhesive notes are now made with a water-based adhesive, which is not a problem for recycling.
Do I need to remove cellophane "windows" from envelopes before recycling? No, these come out easily in the recycling process.
Do I need to remove staples from documents before recycling? No, these come out easily in the recycling process.
Is shredded paper recyclable? Yes, however, it must be bagged first. Place in a paper bag. Shredded paper can always be added to a worm bin or compost pile.
Is wrapping paper recyclable?No, wrapping paper is not recyclable.
I know juice boxes are recyclable, but what about juice bags?No, they’re trash. We encourage people to purchase juice boxes instead of juice bags. Remember to put straws from juice boxes in the trash.
Can I recycle aluminum foil?Yes, but the aluminum foil should be very clean (used on a dry product, like muffins, rather than a messy item like pizza).
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Why can't I recycle drinking glass, window glass, light bulbs, or glass baking dishes?The combination of ingredients used to make glassware is different from what goes into container glass for bottles and jars. If these two types of glass are recycled together, the resulting glass will not be suitable for container glass. In fact, glassware, ceramics, window panes, or mirrors can pose a threat to equipment in a glass recycling plant. Click here for a list of what can and can’t be recycled.
Can I place broken glass bottles and jars in the recycling bins?No. Broken glass is a dangerous hazard to the people who must handle it at the recycling center.
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Can I recycle old pots and pans?No (and yes). Pots and pans can’t be recycled with other bottles and cans. They are considered scrap metal and may be recyclable if your town collects scrap metal separately.
Can I recycle old pieces of a metal fence? No (and yes). Metal fence, and other large metal items, can’t be recycled with other bottles and cans. They are considered scrap metal and may be recyclable if your town collects scrap metal separately.
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Can aseptic containers, like soy milk and juice boxes, be recycled?Yes. Please empty, rinse, and place with other "containers." It is important to remove straws from juice boxes and put in the trash.
Can I recycle tyvek envelopes?No. Tyvek envelopes are not recyclable with your MRF paper and containers. DuPont has a tyvek envelope recycling program. For more details, please visit: http://envelopes.tyvek.com/en/science/versitile/vers_recycle.shtml .
FAQ Credits: US EPA, Ecocycle (CO), Thurston County (WA), Greene County (PA), MIT
http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/wwm/Recycling/recycling_faqs.htm
http://www.co.greene.pa.us/secured/gc/depts/pd/swr/faq.htm#3
http://www.ecocycle.org/faq/containers.cfm
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