The quality of curbside recyclables and their management options.
Presented by Adam Read, Waste Management & Resource Efficiency Practice Director.
Presented at the Air & Waste Management Association’s 105th Annual Conference & Exhibition, San Antonio, June 19-22, 2012.
The quality of curbside recyclables and their management options
1. THE QUALITY OF CURBSIDE RECYCLABLES AND
THEIR MANAGEMENT OPTIONS
Dr Adam Read – Practice Director
Waste Management & Resource Efficiency, AEA
AWMA 2012
A world leading
19th – 22nd June energy and climate
change consultancy
San Antonio, Texas
2. An Overview …. In 20 minutes …..
+ Personal Welcome
+ Introduction to the topic
+ What is quality?
+ Who is responsible?
+ What are the issues?
+ How to measure the extent of the problem?
+ How to overcome these issues?
+ Lessons from the UK
2
3. A personal welcome
+ Adam Read
- Practice Director @ AEA for Waste Management
- 18 years of operational expertise in recycling service
design, roll-out and monitoring
- Staff of > 75 consultants (UK and US)
+ Role on the project
- Project Director
+ Acknowledgements
- Dr Nia Owen: lead author & MRF and recyclate quality
specialist
- AEA for their support in allowing me to be here today
3
5. Our US sponsors
+ We are here exhibiting with ERG
- we acquired them in 2010
+ Come and see us on Booth #118
- ERG and AEA Technology Group
+ Franklin Associates (ERG division)
- extensive experience in all aspects of
solid waste management (over 30 years
of practice)
- integrated solid waste master plans
- full life cycle analyses of solid waste
- waste stream evaluations for local,
regional, state, and national agencies
5
7. The Context
+ Landfill disposal cost is increasing each year
- Landfill tax alone is increasing by £8 per tonne
- Currently £64/ tonne
+ Recycling targets set by Devolved Administrations in the UK
- England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland
o as well as EU targets
- Theme = maximise capture of recyclables from MSW
+ Focus has been predominantly on quantity:
- 70% target for Scotland by 2020
- 70% target for Wales by 2025
- EU Waste Framework Directive requires 50% recycling 2025 AND
75% reduction on 1995 levels of BMW going to landfill by 2020
+ These are driving local authorities to introduce recycling
services….. Usually heavy materials included! 7
8. Security of markets is key …
+ Increasing tonnage collected and
lack of UK [processing capacity
+ UK is heavily reliant on the export
market – particularly China
Paper
+ BUT Chinese market is expected to
decline in a few years
- They are producing their own
recyclate from middle classes in China
+ Producing quality recyclate will be
key to securing long term markets
Plastic 8
11. What do we mean by Quality...
+ Material that meets a defined standard
+ Materials in a form that an end market (reprocessor) is
prepared to accept, at a price that is more advantageous
then alternative material sources
+ Materials that an end market accepts but whose processing
costs do not exceed the income from the material
+ Focus in the UK has traditionally been on quantity rather
than quality!!
- BUT under current economic conditions Quality materials will always
sell!
- This is now a growing concern for local authorities….
11
12. What do we mean by Quality...
+ This doesn’t mean that we always have to produce this…
12
23. Quality …
+ Consistently delivering materials to the marketplace that are
- effectively separated to meet customer requirements
- compliant with national regulations and policies….
- at a cost that is acceptable
23
27. MRFs often blamed for poor quality….
+ BUT
“Rubbish in = Rubbish out”
+ MRFs are part of a manufacturing process
- From collection to reprocessor and back into consumption!
ALL ARE RESPONSIBLE
27
29. Impacts on quality
+ Non Target Materials (NTMs)
- Materials not accepted by MRF
+ Residues
- Wastes that find their way into the recycling stream (by accident)
+ Weather
- Changes composition of material streams
- Wet paper is not as acceptable as dry!
+ Behaviour
- People choose to present NTMs
- People choose not to keep things dry
- People aren’t aware of what goes where
29
30. Reasons for Contamination
+ Limited range of materials collected in recycling scheme
+ Poor communications (confusion @ the kerb)
+ Language barriers (don’t understand the messages)
+ Lack of support for elderly / disabled (scheme fails)
+ Lack of facilities for flats (all in 1 bin!)
+ Poor service provision (can’t expect a poor design to deliver)
+ Lack of understanding by collection crew (collect anything)
+ Lack of enforcement @ the kerbside (no feedback to
residents)
+ No monitoring (no data…. no idea!)
30
33. How do we measure it...
+ Two ways of measuring input quality:
- Composition analysis of loads
collected @ kerbside
- % of bins set out containing NTMs
+ Quality measured using one of these
- but the results are markedly different
33
34. How do we measure it...
+ Composition analysis - % by weight of NTMs:
- doesn’t tell you if this is caused by a small number of people
grossly misusing the scheme
- or a large number of people getting it a bit wrong...
34
35. How do we measure it...
+ % of bins set out will provide information on the spread of any
NTM issues
- But only top of bins can be seen when monitoring...
- No idea how much / how significant the problem is!
+ Need to use both measures…. and with some frequency…..
35
37. Scheme Design
+ Container Type:
- Open bins / boxes can be compromised via
littering from passers by
- Lids can be used to minimise this
+ Provision of free recycling bags but not
residual bags
- Encourages misuse of the recycling system
- Think carefully about ‘unexpected consequences’
+ Use of transparent containers
- Enables NTMs to be easily identified
- South Holland District council switched from a box
to transparent bag and reported a decline in NTMs
37
38. Scheme Design
+ Border effects:
- Impact of neighbouring authorities scheme
- Friends and relatives are recycling yoghurt pots ‘so I can to!’
+ Residual waste collection frequency:
- Switch to fortnightly residual waste collection…
- Misuse of recycling system – needs careful monitoring & feedback
+ Range of materials collected:
- Central Bedfordshire added plastic packaging, foil and waxed cartons
to kerbside scheme and NTMs decreased from 7.8% to 1.4%
- Stratford upon Avon Council added plastic packaging and foil @
kerbside and NTMs decreased from 4.5% to 1.9%
38
39. Operations
+ Crew training works!
- Recognition of TMs & NTMs
- Effective engaging with householders
+ Great Yarmouth
- Decreased NTMs from 12.5% to 6.9%
+ East Hampshire
- Decreased NTMs from 8.8% to 5%
+ LB Lewisham
- Decreased NTMs from 22% to 13%
39
40. Communications
+ Range of approaches available:
- Door to door / Leafleting / Roadshows/ Radio
advertising etc.
+ Durham County Council’s ‘Kerb-it’ campaign:
- Adverts / leaflets/ roadshows/ door to door
- NTMs decreased from 11.5% to 5.8% in areas of high
student population
+ Kingston upon Thames
- Recycling advisors visited persistent offenders
- NTMs decreased from 9.8% to 6.8%.
+ Craigavon Borough Council
- Introduced AWC but NTMs in recycling collections
increased significantly (local confusion)
- Bin inspectors visited offenders
- NTMs decreased from 17% to 8.5%
40
41. What’s most effective?
+ Increase range of materials collected by the
kerbside scheme
- BUT can the MRF accept them...
+ Crew training – recognition of NTMs
- Work on crews in turn and publish results to
encourage others of the benefits
- Need to have a parallel strong policy on ‘lids
down’ and contaminated bins left etc..
+ Communications
- Will underpin any new scheme initiative – new
materials, change of days etc..
- Must be focused on areas with specific problems
- Must provide positive feedback on
improvements!
41
43. Conclusions
+ Monitoring quality @ all stages in the collection and
treatment system is vital
+ Sending rubbish to a reprocessor only costs you money!
+ Good data on contamination ‘pockets’ or specific materials
will allow targeted communications campaigns
- more effective than blanket campaigns!
+ Work with your contractors (crew engagement is key)
+ Think about your residents (they don’t want to contaminate)
- Help them adjust
- Help them understand
+ Keep challenging your collection system – every little helps!
43
44. Lessons for the US
+ Curbside recycling has its limits
+ International commodity markets will
impact on material prices
+ Think about future scheme expansion &
improvements – what is key?
+ Communications budgets are under-
funded and under-utilised
+ Crew training is vital
+ Working with your MRF / reprocessors
@ the outset will ensure everyone
understands the materials specification
44