Presentation through every-once-in a-while consulting gig / sole proprietorship...

1. CAN MANUFACTURERS INSTITUTE 2013 ANNUAL MEETING General Session: The Role of the Can in Sustainable Solid Waste Management By Phil Bresee, Solace Sustainability Consulting May 22, 2013

2. Solid Waste in the U.S.
•Municipal Solid Waste (or “MSW”) = Typical discards from households and businesses.
•Per-capita MSW generation has actually declined during the 2000s.
•250 million tons in 2010
•MSW generation tracks closely with economic trends and GDP.
•Construction & demolition debris, or mining and industrial wastes not included in EPA’s MSW.
Sources: US EPA
Landfilled 54%
Combusted 12%
Recycled 34%
U.S. MSW 2010

3. What’s in our Garbage?
•EPA formulates statistics based on economic and production activity.
•Containers & packaging = 30% of total
•States and local governments perform waste composition studies.
•C&D debris not included in EPA methodology
Paper & cardboard 28.5%
Metals 9.0%
Glass 4.6%
Plastics 12.4%
Rubber & leather 3.1%
Textiles 5.3%
Wood 6.4%
Food scraps 13.9%
Yard trimmings 13.4%
Misc. organics 1.5%
Other 1.9%
Solid Waste Composition in the U.S. 2010 Source: U.S. EPA (before recycling)

4. Average Composition of Solid Waste Disposed in Select U.S. Cities (after recycling)
Paper & cardboard 21.7%
Metals 3.9%
Glass 3.2%
Plastics 11.8%
Food waste 21.3%
Yard waste 6.8%
Textiles 5.4%
Rubber & leather 0.3%
C&D debris 11.8%
Other 13.8%

5. Solid Waste Management Hierarchy
•US EPA developed solid waste management hierarchy in late 1980s.
•Source, or waste reduction means minimizing or not creating waste in the first place.
•Recycling is preferred way to manage materials.
Waste Reduction
Reuse
Recycling
Disposal w/energy recovery
Disposal
Most Preferred
Least Preferred

6. Environmental Benefits of Recycling
•Greenhouse gases (GHG) are emitted during product life-cycles, which include extraction, manufacturing and disposal.
•Recycling and waste reduction are effective tools for reducing GHG emissions from:
Raw materials extraction
Energy consumption during manufacturing
Reducing methane emissions from landfills
Illustration courtesy of U.S. EPA

7. Solid Waste and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
•Traditional “sector-based” calculations understate impact of waste.
•“Systems-based”, as shown, takes purpose of GHG emissions into consideration.
Calculation sources: U.S. EPA
Prov. of Goods 29%
Prov. of Food 13%
Appliances/Devices 8%
Building HVAC & Lighting 25%
Local Transport 15%
Other Transport 9%
Infrastructure 1%
42% of GHG for “stuff”

8. Cans: Environmental Tale of the Tape
Steel
Aluminum
Steel
Recycling rate
65%
67%
Recycled content %
68%
25 to 100%
Source reduction
•1972: 21.75 cans weighed 1 lb.
•2012: 34.57 cans weighed 1 lb.
Steel cans have 1/3 less metal than 20 years ago.
Energy savings by recycling
95%
75%
Equivalent # of cars removed from road by recycling 500 tons
2,055
669
Shipping efficiencies (stacking, no refrigeration, etc.)
√
√

9. Energy Savings Benefits of Recycling
Recycling 500 Tons of…
= GHG Reduction of x MTCE
= Equivalent of Removing X Cars from Road for 1 Year
Paper
339
259
Cardboard
354
270
Aluminum
2,055
1,569
Steel
915
669
PET
1,035
786
HDPE
885
676
Glass
38
29

10. Pre-1980s Late 1980s 1990s ~2000 2012
Birth of modern
MRF…state legislative
actions and local
government initiatives…
Managed source-separated material
streams...Scrap dealers & vertically
integrated companies (Weyerhauser,
Alcoa, Anheuser Bush)…
Limited involvement from MSW
industry…
Evolution of Recycling…
Transitions to dual-stream…
driven by
collections
efficiencies, need for
more through-put
Single-stream
MRFs begin to
emerge…China
becomes major
buyer…

11. The Evolution of Residential Recycling…

12. Tracking Recycling’s Growth
•More Americans have access to recycling than ever before.
•The national recycling rate has climbed from 16% in 1990 to 34% in 2010.
•Progress with recycling away from home, and at work.
•Still much left to do…Recycling has flat lined in recent years.
# Communities
Population (in millions)
Percent of U.S.
Curbside
10,573
196
63%
Drop-off
21,454
213
68%
Total Access
24,977
273
87%
Source: American Forest & Paper Association, 2010

13. •Delivered to Materials Recovery Facilities, or “MRFs” (pronounced ‘murph’)
•Recyclables processed using screens, trommels, optical sorting, eddy currents, magnets, etc.
•Speed and angles of processing lines calibrated…
•Residue rates decreasing (<10%)…
Where Do Our Recyclables Go?
Photos courtesy of Resource Recycling magazine and Waste Management, Inc.

14. U.S. Recovery Rates for Curbside Recyclables
0%
50%
100%
Aluminum cans
Steel cans
Newspaper
OCC
Office paper
Mags
Glass
HDPE
PET
Aseptics
EPA Estimate
Industry Estimate
•Counting methodologies differ among EPA, state & local governments, and industry.
•Bottle bill states invariably see higher recycling rates.
•Cardboard & office paper have more established commercial recovery networks.

15. Recovery Rates for Curbside Recyclables from Select Cities
•Relative light- weight of aluminum makes it harder to measure.
•Bottle-bill states see less aluminum in curbside recycling bins (but more at redemption centers)
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Aluminum…
Steel cans
Misc. Paper
Newspaper
OCC
Office paper
Mags
Glass
Plastic bottles
HDPE
PET
Aseptics
Honolulu
Montgomery County, MD
Philadelphia

16. Economic Benefits of Recycling
•About 2% of $12.36 trillion U.S. GDP in 2007
•Labor intensive & creates jobs at 10/1 ratio vs. traditional solid waste disposal
•2008 NERC five-state (PA, NY, MA, ME, DE) study:
11,738 recycling or recycling reliant establishments
Payroll of $4.2 billion for workforce of 100,500
$35 billion gross receipts

17. Recyclables Market Values 2004-2013
$-
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
$1,800
$2,000
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
Aluminum
Steel Cans
ONP
RMP
OCC
Glass
PET plastics
HDPE Nat. plastics
Cartons
#3-7 Plastics
•Recyclables are commodities.
•Prices for recyclables fairly consistent with regular economic growth and contraction.

18. •Considerable value in the amount of recyclables still being disposed of.
•Added value each step of the way (from processor to mill to manufacturer, etc.).
•States have begun to look more at recycling’s role in economic development (Georgia, 2006).
Not Recycling = Throwing Money Away Generated TonsRecycling RateAvg. Market Value Per-Ton=Disposed IncomeNewspaper9,880,000 72%$115=$323,150,000Cardboard31,700,000 85%$111=$532,800,000PET2,670,000 29%$382=$721,980,000HDPE 4,300,000 23%$518=$1,724,310,000Steel Cans2,300,000 67%$83=$63,080,000Aluminum Cans1,900,000 65%$1,574=$1,043,719,400

19. Cans = Bang for $
•Recyclables generate revenues for many local governments.
•Recyclables also allow for savings on solid waste disposal.
•Aluminum has historically held highest economic value per-ton
•Aluminum and steel cans combined make up about 3% of average residential recyclables stream but generate almost 20% of revenue

20. Recycling Stream of Tomorrow
•Packaging trends need to be monitored…
•MRFs of the future will manage a different recyclables stream.
•New materials will be targeted for diversion (mixed plastics, film, scrap metals, etc.)
•Some commodities may morph into one (ONP, mixed paper).
•Materials can be culled from residue.
Material
Current Percentage
Projections
Newspaper
29.1%
↓
Mixed Paper
16.0%
↑
Cardboard
15.1%
↑
Aseptic Containers
0.1%
↑
Aluminum Cans
1.1%
↔
Steel Cans
2.0%
↓
PET
2.9%
↑
HDPE Natural
1.1%
↔
HDPE Colored
1.0%
↔
Mixed Plastics
1.9%
↑
Mixed Glass
17.4%
↓
Rejects/Residue
12.2%
↔

21. Recycling’s Way Forward?
•More coordination among all stakeholders in the recycling value change is necessary.
•Private sector AMERIPEN, U.S. Recycling Summit
•Curbside Value Partnership
•Investments in collection & processing infrastructure (Coca- Cola, Carton Council, etc.)
Generators
Collectors
Processors
Mills
Product Manufacturers
Retail / Wholesale

22. Recycling’s Way Forward?
•Sharp increase in exports negatively impacted U.S. domestic recovered materials industry.
•Lack of industrial policy in U.S. has hurt recycling.
•Just 9% of U.S. workforce is in manufacturing vs. 30% in prime…
•Operation Green Fence: China’s crack-down on low quality recyclables (primarily paper and plastics).
•Green linings?
More market development programs?
Resurgence in domestic recycling industry?

23. Thank You!
philbresee@bellsouth.net