Chippewa Valley Times

Every week, millions of Americans participate in single-stream recycling by placing their recyclables into a single bin. This system simplifies the process for consumers but presents challenges behind the scenes due to complex sorting systems and contamination issues. According to recent reports, 15% to 25% of materials collected from recycle bins end up in landfills.

Plastics pose significant difficulties in recycling. The Environmental Protection Agency states that only about 9% of plastic generated in the U.S. is recycled. Some plastics are incinerated for energy production, while most end up in landfills.

In single-stream recycling systems, all recyclable materials such as paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, and metal are placed into one bin. These mixed recyclables are then taken to a materials recovery facility for sorting. Initially, they are shredded and crushed into smaller fragments for effective separation. Rotating screens remove cardboard and paper while heavier materials like plastics, metals, and glass continue along the sorting line.

Magnets separate ferrous metals like steel, while a magnetic field with electrical currents isolates nonferrous metals such as aluminum. Glass fragments are removed using gravity or vibrating screens, leaving plastics as the primary remaining material.

Single-stream recycling's convenience comes with downsides like contamination from food residue and non-recyclable items that degrade material quality and increase processing costs. Such contamination can lead recovery centers to reject entire batches.

Each recycling program has specific rules on which items it accepts. Checking your municipal page helps determine what can be recycled locally by examining the recycling code stamped on plastics next to the icon.

Certain plastics present greater challenges:

- Symbol 3 (PVC) is found in pipes and some packaging but may contain harmful additives.

- Symbol 4 (LDPE) is used in plastic bags prone to tangling machinery.

- Symbol 6 (Polystyrene) is lightweight and brittle making it difficult to process.

However, some plastics are more commonly accepted:

- Symbol 1 (PET) used in soda bottles.

- Symbol 2 (HDPE) found in milk jugs.

- Symbol 5 (PP) used in yogurt cups.

Plastics can be chemically recycled or ground up for reprocessing though not all types mix well together. Simple methods like water separation help isolate PET due to its density but HDPE and PP both float requiring advanced technology like infrared spectroscopy for separation.

Once separated, PET can undergo chemical recycling through solvolysis where polymers break down into monomers before being reassembled into new products. Other methods like pyrolysis raise environmental concerns due to toxic fumes released during heating yet hold potential for reducing waste while generating energy.

For yogurt cups (PP) and milk jugs (HDPE), complete separation during recycling prevents unusable mixes resulting from their incompatibility when combined without proper processing techniques involving compatibilizers similar to lecithin's role mixing oil-water phases creating mayonnaise-like solutions improving quality through mechanical reprocessing at separate facilities producing flexible strong recycled materials closer achieving circular economy goals without waste reliance upon better consumer habits washing off food residues avoiding plastic bag use paying attention local guidelines ensuring successful outcomes enhancing value versatility overall processes involved throughout stages contributing positively towards sustainable future initiatives collectively addressing ongoing issues facing industry today striving ultimately improve effectiveness efficiency long-term viability efforts moving forward collaboratively tackling pressing challenges head-on proactively responsibly 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