If you hadn’t heard already, your curbside recycling program is likely in trouble—and there isn’t much of a solution.
Across the U.S., local recycling facilities are encountering a number of issues created by China’s ban on the import of our recyclables and garbage. Facilities are being inundated with recycling and trash, and are running into issues of widespread contamination (or trash mixed with recycling—a cardinal sin in recycling facilities).
Some facilities have stopped accepting certain materials, while others have stopped recycling altogether. How can you know if your curbside program is affected? Waste Dive, a website devoted to all things garbage, is tracking just how each state is affected daily—and how your very own city may be impacted, too. They also rate each state based on how it’s been affected by China’s ban, on a scale from minimal to heavy.
The city of Clearwater, Florida, for instance, recently had to ship off one-third of its recyclables to a waste-to-energy facility (basically, an incinerator) for being contaminated. Meanwhile, recycling costs are soaring in parts of Maine (one city has even dropped its curbside recycling program) and another town is threatening people with a $100,000 fine for contamination.
If you want to avoid a hefty fine or just find out more, you can check Waste Dive’s tracker for regular updates. If you see something in the news that hasn’t been recorded yet, you can send WasteDive an email with any announcements.
And if your recycling program is affected, either because it has stopped accepting a particular material or terminated entirely, do an online search using Earth911's locator for nearby drop-off sites where you can lug your recyclables.
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