Single-Stream Recycling and Its Impact on the Planet: 6 Things to Know
Managing household waste is an ongoing challenge. You might have to separate reusable materials and prepare them for pickup with strategies like washing tin cans. So, when someone mentions another way to handle your recyclables, it might seem interesting. Check out everything you should know about single-stream recycling to understand how it affects the planet.
What Is Single-Stream Recycling?
Single-stream recycling is a waste management method that combines multiple kinds of recyclables during processing. The facilities receiving the used goods process them with machinery like conveyors, screening, magnetic separation and balers.
It’s an alternative method to multi-stream recycling, which collects and processes materials individually. Both result in more reusable products for manufacturers.
Pros and Cons of This Processing Method
Trying a new strategy to help the environment can feel risky. Read about the pros and cons of single-stream recycling to clarify if it does more harm than good. It could help you determine if it’s a salvaging method you’d like to use.
1. Pro: It’s Convenient for Participants
Anyone who’s been recycling for a while knows how long it takes to separate unwanted items. Cardboard, plastic, aluminum and glass are only a few things recycling centers prefer to keep separate when they have a multi-stream processing facility.
Single-stream recycling removes the responsibility from consumers and processing plants. Even though you may still prefer getting things in reusable or sustainable packaging made with the three P’s in mind — helping people, the planet and profits — single-stream processing can easily adapt to whatever used goods come from your home. Throw them in a pickup bin and you’re free to move on with the rest of your day.
2. Con: Cross-Contamination Can Occur
Although you might think of bacteria or viruses when you read about cross-contamination, it also affects recycled materials. If you don’t separate your waste correctly, a processing facility’s machines will note when it finds a glass bottle among plastic ones. It often throws out the entire batch to stay on schedule, meaning your reusable goods could linger in landfills regardless of your efforts.
3. Pro: Recycling Companies Only Need to Make Single Trips
Facilities set up to process separated reusable products schedule multiple routes for their pickup vehicles. The moving boxes you got from local stores would travel to a recycling center on one truck, while another stopped by for your soup cans or soda bottles.
Additional trucks burn more fossil fuels, which can be especially wasteful if they drive to the same locations multiple times weekly. Single-stream repurposing only requires one pickup truck. Your efforts will involve fewer fossil fuels because a local company can collect all your reusable goods simultaneously.
4. Con: Materials May Break During Transportation
Vehicles carrying separated goods have an advantage — they can use specialized containers to transport unwanted items safely to a recycling facility. Single-stream trucks haul everything simultaneously.
Glass gets thrown in with cans, bottles and paper. Sudden stops or hard turns may shatter the fragile recyclables rolling around in the back, preventing processing centers from turning them into new products.
5. Pro: Single-Stream Collections Could Be More Cost-Effective
Paying for multiple recycling pick-ups can put big dents in your monthly budget. Participating in a single-stream program would only involve one bill. It’s easier to afford this Earth-friendly practice, meaning more community members might consider joining, too.
Providing this option nationwide could help the country meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s goal to recycle 50% of public materials by 2050. If you know people who are concerned for the planet, like you, talking about this option might be another way to fight pollution without disrupting your routine.
6. Con: Recycled Scrap Can Cost Less
Businesses can’t stay open if they’re not making a profit. Privately owned reprocessing centers operate the same way. They might make less money from their recycled products, if cross-contamination decreases the quality of their newly made cardboard or plastic. It’s one challenge single-stream recycling poses as community leaders decide what kind of green services they can establish in their regions, while still making enough money to provide the essential service.
Help the Planet With Different Waste Disposal Methods Â
Joining a single-stream recycling program could be the next best step for your green lifestyle. Consider the pros and cons before making your decision. If you have a facility near your home that accepts multiple reusable goods, it could simplify your efforts to improve the planet.
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