Why some 'recyclable' plastics are landfilled
Only an estimated 4% of plastics in the U.S. are recycled. Let’s take a look at what gets recycled in Chattanooga.
By Mary Helen Montgomery
*This is the third part of a four-part series about recycling in Chattanooga. You can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
Fast Facts:
The recycling symbol ♺ found on many plastics does not actually mean that a product is recyclable
Only specific types of plastics are recyclable in Chattanooga, and in the U.S. as a whole
Some plastics that aren't typically recycled are: yogurt containers, clamshell containers like strawberry cartons and takeout containers, salad containers, margarine tubs, disposable plastic (Solo) cups, and many others
Mohawk Industries recycles much of Chattanooga's plastics, turning 100,000 pounds of bottles into carpet each month
The OECD estimates only 4% of plastics in the U.S. get recycled
The recycling symbol doesn't mean much
Most types of plastic cannot be recycled — even if they’re marked with the iconic recycling symbol. The symbol simply identifies that the item is made out of plastic, but it does not reflect whether a local recycling program can recycle it.
Many municipalities, including Chattanooga, allow the public to put a wide array of plastic in their bins. Even though not all of the plastics will ultimately be recycled, the thinking is that it's too much to ask the public to differentiate between what is recyclable and what isn't.
"It would be an even higher burden to place on residents if we asked each person to identify which type of plastic they have in hand and then place in the appropriate bin,"said Ryan Ewalt, Chattanooga's Chief Operating Officer. "Ultimately we want to maximize the amount of items that are recycled versus placed in the landfill."
However, Jimmy Urciuoli, the executive director Green Steps, a local sustainability nonprofit, disagrees with that approach.
“If we have a better understanding of what actually is going to get recycled, that can change consumer behavior, and it's changed mine,” Urciuoli said. “Now that I understand that those materials that I thought for so long were recyclable are not, I avoid buying those materials when I can.”
In the United States, only an estimated 4% of plastics that are generated get recycled, according to a study from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Most community recycling programs in the U.S., including Chattanooga’s, only process specific types of plastics that are marked with a No. 1 or 2, if they recycle plastic at all. While those types of plastics are the most common in households, they only represent some of the plastics that consumers buy that are marked with a recycling symbol.
Ewalt pointed out that Chattanooga is able to recycle more plastics than many other communities.
"We are very fortunate to have multiple businesses nearby who need these plastics to create their products, including Mohawk Industries. Other communities aren't so lucky and have to send much more to the landfill," Ewalt said.
Which household plastics are recycled?
Plastic manufacturers typically mark their products with a recycling symbol containing a number one through seven. The seven numbers refer to seven categories of plastics (polyethylene terephthalate, polypropylene, etc).
Examples of No. 1 and 2 plastics that are likely to be recycled here and elsewhere are: water bottles, soda bottles, milk cartons, salad dressing bottles, shampoo bottles, and laundry detergent jugs.
Other plastics that aren’t typically recycled in Chattanooga and elsewhere are: yogurt containers, clamshell containers like strawberry cartons and salad containers, margarine tubs, takeout containers, syrup bottles, cleaner bottles, toys, pill bottles, shopping bags, squeeze bottles, plastic cutlery, disposable coffee cups, disposable plastic (Solo) cups, and any other plastic that is marked with a No. 3 through 7.
Why can't plastics No. 3 through 7 be recycled?
Until a few years ago, China accepted much of the United States’ plastic refuse. But, in 2018, the country closed its doors to our plastic recyclables. Even when China was taking our plastics, there were questions about what actually happened to the plastic once it was there — whether it was truly turned into new products by manufacturers or dumped into the ocean. Even now, some of the United States’ plastics are shipped overseas. A joint investigation from Frontline and NPR revealed that some of our country’s plastic waste now goes to Indonesia, where it is piled up in communities rather than recycled.
Now, U.S. recycling programs must rely more on U.S.-based plastic processors and manufacturers to take plastic waste. The demand from those buyers is generally low, but it's strongest for the grades of plastic used in No. 1 and 2 bottles, jugs, and jars. With nobody to buy plastics No. 3 through 7, they cannot be recycled.
Where do plastics go after you put them in your bin?
After you put your recyclables in your curbside bin or in a receptacle at a recycling center, Chattanooga’s Public Works Department delivers the materials to WestRock, a privately-owned sorting facility located off South Market Street downtown. At WestRock, materials are sorted by machinery and by people, and then sold to manufacturers who want to buy them.
As we covered in Part 2 of Chattamatters’ recycling series, The City of Chattanooga pays WestRock $47.50 for every ton of collected recyclables that we deliver. Last fiscal year, we sent 5,117 tons to WestRock. This type of financial arrangement is typical between municipalities and recycling companies. We also have to pay to take material to the landfill, at a lower rate of $32.32 per ton; last fiscal year we sent 61,223 tons to the landfill.
In addition to being a sorting facility, WestRock is a paper manufacturer. While it sells off glass, aluminum, steel, and plastic materials, it keeps paper and cardboard to manufacture into new products.
At WestRock, No. 1 and No. 2 bottles, jugs, and jars are separated from the rest of the recycling stream, put into bales, and sold to manufacturers. WestRock sells bales of No. 1 plastics to a Mohawk Industries plant in Summerville, Georgia, where they are turned into carpet fiber. According to Mohawk, they currently purchase 100,000 pounds of No. 1 plastic bottles from WestRock’s Chattanooga facility each month.
Plastics marked No. 2 are sent to KW Plastics in Troy, Alabama, where they eventually become things like razor blade handles, deodorant sticks, and other products. KW Plastics is actually able to recycle No. 5 plastics (yogurt containers, margarine tubs, etc.) as well. However, many local recycling companies, including WestRock in Chattanooga, do not separate out the No. 5 plastics, so KW is not able to get as much of the material as it would like.
To recap: all plastics collected by Public Works go to WestRock sorting facility in Chattanooga. From there, WestRock sells plastics No. 1 and 2 to Mohawk Industries, KW Plastics, and other buyers.
What happens to plastics No. 3 through 7?
WestRock does mix in some 3 through 7 plastics into the No. 1 and 2 bales, but they have to do so at low enough volumes to meet the purchasers’ specifications for what’s considered contamination. According to WestRock, the majority of the plastics collected by Chattanooga Public Works are plastics No. 1 and 2 containers and jugs.
Jennifer Rightmire at WestRock wrote in an email to Chattamatters: “We are able to properly recover #1 and #2 plastics, then do our best to recover anything further that is disposed of in the recycling bins. We do not want to landfill anything that hits our pad, as it just ends up costing us to send it there.”
KW Plastics, which purchases bales of No. 2 plastic from WestRock, is able to process other types of plastic that might be mixed into those bales. But that's only if the relative volume remains very low, General Manager Scott Saunders said.
Mohawk Industries, on the other hand, has more rigorous standards. At Mohawk, the bales of No. 1 plastics that arrive are further sorted, and anything other than the No. 1 bottles are “discarded and/or sold off for other uses,” according to an email from Nicole Kimsey at Mohawk.
What could be done to recycle more plastic?
Chattamatters did speak to one startup company with an innovative solution for reusing the plastics that have little demand from manufacturers. ByFusion is an LA-based company that uses steam-powered technology to turn plastic waste into building blocks. The blocks can be used to create gazebos, offices, storage containers, and other structures. The company is just starting to sell its technology to municipalities and companies around the country.
The City of Chattanooga has been in talks with ByFusion, and they're also exploring a partnership with WestRock and Reynolds to possibly implement the Hefty EnergyBag Program as a way to reuse No. 4 through 7 plastics.
There is also an unmet demand for plastics No. 5, which include yogurt and cottage cheese containers, margarine tubs, and other items, according to Scott Saunders at KW Plastics. But, WestRock and other sorting facilities do not specifically sort out the No. 5 plastics and put them into bales. Saunders said he would like to encourage local facilities to invest in the equipment required to sort No. 5 plastics from the stream.
What does this mean for me?
Armed with the knowledge of what actually gets recycled, you may choose to put your No. 3 through 7 plastics into the garbage can (as well as your No. 1 and 2's that aren't a bottle, jug, or jar).
Or, you can keep doing what you’ve been doing — let WestRock and the manufacturers sort your recyclables and decide what to put in the landfill.
Another option is to follow Urciuoli’s advice:
“I do encourage people to recycle… definitely your glass, your paper products, your aluminum, your steel. They have a pretty good chance of actually getting recycled. The plastics are a little trickier and so I would say for those looking to reduce waste, the first step would be to reduce plastic waste.”