The deep wisdom of the “for want of a nail” proverb reminds us that seemingly unimportant acts or omissions can potentially lead to grave and unforeseen consequences due to the interconnectedness of complex systems. Taking integrated policy steps can lead to significant results, such as the emerging success in paper cup recycling — but a lack of a cohesive approach can stymie the growth of important niche markets, such as polystyrene and batteries.
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This Week in Waste
Polystyrene Recycling: Infrastructure Exists, But the Chicken-and-Egg Problem Persists
A new end market study conducted by Resource Recycling Systems on behalf of the Polystyrene Recycling Alliance identified 81 companies and 119 facilities across 30 U.S. states handling recovered expanded and extruded polystyrene foam, with about 52% operating as manufacturing end markets using recycled feedstock. But the study identifies a key impediment to growing PS recycling: sorting facilities won’t invest in the equipment without a guaranteed buyer for the output, and buyers won’t commit without a reliable supply — a classic chicken-and-egg infrastructure problem the study suggests addressing through per-pound subsidies to sorting facilities. Unblocking these logjams is why SWEEP gives credit to the development of local recycled materials processing infrastructure.
Key takeaway: Polystyrene recycling has more infrastructure than many people assume, but scaling it requires policy tools and local commitment to break the investment deadlock between processors and end markets.
Sources: Waste Dive ·
Waste Dive ·
Earth911
From SWEEP: Cities Take Creative Recycling Approaches — SWEEP’s blog post on innovative municipal recycling programs highlights how local programs are finding ways to expand access to hard-to-recycle materials.
Paper Cup Recycling Hits 20% of U.S. Population — Progress with a Long Road Ahead
The Foodservice Packaging Institute reports that 20% of the U.S. population now lives in communities where both single-sided and double-sided paper cups are accepted for recycling — up from just 5% in 2016. The milestone was driven by MRF upgrades, hauler commitments from WM, GFL, Casella, and others, as well as ReMA updating its inbound residential single-stream and dual-stream specifications to include paper cups.
Key takeaway: Similar to the approach needed for expanding polystyrene recycling, this is a model for how coordinated investment across the value chain — mills, haulers, MRFs, and industry groups — can unlock materials that were once considered unrecyclable.
Sources: Waste Dive ·
Resource Recycling ·
Waste 360
From SWEEP: How Small Recyclables Have a Big Impact — SWEEP’s blog post on the challenge and opportunity of recovering small-format materials in today’s recycling system.
Battery Fire Risk Is Outpacing Battery EPR — SWANA and EPA Are Responding
SWANA’s senior director of public policy, Kristyn Oldendorf, described lithium-ion battery fires as a near-universal experience across the waste and recycling industry, prompting the association to create a dedicated working group structured around three tracks: policy advocacy, public outreach, and on-site safety for vehicles and facilities. Meanwhile, the EPA has pitched Congress on best practices for battery collection and recycling, as state-level battery EPR laws continue to multiply — but leave electronics-embedded batteries largely unaddressed.
Sources: Resource Recycling ·
Waste Dive ·
Waste Dive
Focus on SWEEP
Watch: Lessons from Platinum Certification
Mt. Diablo Resource Recovery, serving more than 300,000 residents in the East San Francisco Bay Area, recently became the first waste company to achieve SWEEP Platinum Certification — the highest recognition offered by the SWEEP Standard. Watch last week’s SWEEP webinar featuring MDRR’s leadership to hear how they did it and what the certification process revealed about building a truly sustainable waste operation.
| ▶ Watch the Webinar |