10 Things You Need to Know For the Waste & Recycling Industry Today (July 21, 2014)10 Things You Need to Know For the Waste & Recycling Industry Today (July 21, 2014)

Florida Expected To Fall Short Of Recycling Goal Unless More Businesses Fill Bins “Florida businesses and institutions need to step up their recycling efforts if the state has any hope of meeting a goal of 75 percent recycled waste. That’s what environmental officials are saying after a recent progress report showed Floridians are recycling less than half of all waste. At Tallahassee’s Marpan Recycling plant, wooden furniture and construction scraps are processed through Godzilla-size chippers. These recyclables are bigger than the typical household items put out to the curb.” (WFSU.org)

Michigan Landfill Use Declines, But Not Ann Arbor’s “Despite a slight increase in Michigan’s population, 2013 witnessed a decline of 0.5 percent in solid waste generated in the state, continuing a 10-year  trend, according to a report by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). And the state still has almost three decades’ worth of landfill capacity, the report said. Waste imported from other states and Canada increased by more than 8 percent.” (The Ann Arbor Independent)

Zero Waste in San Francisco is a 2020 Vision “’The goal is Zero Waste by 2020, and we think that is an achievable goal.’ Those words from former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom back in 2009 promoted the idea of diverting all waste from landfills. It was actually an official resolution passed back in the Willie Brown Administration. Now in 2014, Mayor Ed Lee claims the city has reached 80% diversion. Whether or not that debatable claim is true, there’s a long way to go to reach the goal. So what’s it going to take to achieve zero waste by 2020?” (KALW.org)

China’s recycling industry valued at $100 billion “BCC Research, based in Wellesley, Massachusetts, says about $103 billion in recycling-related economic activity occurred in China in 2013, down slightly from $107.5 billion in 2012. In its newly released report, titled Recycling Markets in China, the research firm forecasts the recycling market in China ‘to grow to nearly $156 billion by 2018, and register a five-year compound annual growth rate of 8.7 percent from 2013 to 2018.’” (Recycling Today)

Recycling in Nashville's urban district rises “Participation in the recycling program, nicknamed Curby, has been ticking up in recent years as more Metro residents have agreed to toss their recyclables in the city's green cans. Last year, 90,761 households used the service, according to Metro figures. That was up 2.3 percent from the previous year. Still, the city wants to move that number even higher, said Jenna Smith, a spokeswoman for Metro's public works department.” (Tennessean.com)

S.A. starts plastic bag recycling Aug. 1 “Starting Aug. 1, the city's Solid Waste Management Department will accept plastic bags in blue recycling bins. San Antonio's previous recycling processor was unable to accept plastic bags, said Tiffany Edmonds, spokesperson for the department. The bags would easily become stuck in the plant's machines, she said. Now the city has a processor that can accept the bags, but there are some requirements. Bags must be dry, clean and free of receipts or loose objects. They must be cut free of any string or zip-lock handles, and cannot be black in color or any dark shade of blue.” (MySanAntonio.com)

Kanawha County’s 22-year-old recycling ordinance never enforced “Live or have a business in Kanawha County? You’re required to separate at least three recyclables from your regular trash, and if you’re outside city limits, your waste hauler is to schedule at least one day per month for curbside or similar recycling collection. If that scenario doesn’t seem to be happening, it’s because it isn’t.” (Charleston Daily Mail)

Waste Management's trash-to-electricity project at Arlington-area landfill to double capacity “Waste Management is doubling capacity at its landfill gas power plant south of Arlington, generating more energy for homes and businesses 260 miles away in Seattle. The Columbia Ridge Landfill and Recycling Center handles about 2 million tons of garbage per year, approximately one-third of which is shipped in by rail from Seattle Public Utilities. Once transferred into the dump, organic waste starts to decompose, releasing methane gas as a natural byproduct.” (Associated Press)

Lower Saucon Township landfill announces new expansion plan “IESI Bethlehem Landfill in Lower Saucon Township has a new plan for expansion, which has been a controversial issue in the township for more than two years. The landfill now plans to seek approval to expand within its current boundaries as well as continue to seek rezoning of additional land for further expansion. The landfill's new plan includes the creation of six acres of new disposal area as well as 22 acres of additional disposal area on top of its existing landfill. IESI presented the plan to the township council Wednesday night and announced it in a news release on Thursday.” (LehighValleyLive.com)

Five exceptions to R.I. plastics-recycling rule “When it comes to plastics, the rule of thumb for recycling in your bin is this: the item needs to be a container, and 2 gallons in size or smaller. Follow that rule, and you’ll recycle correctly 95 percent of the time. Striving for perfection? Here are five exceptions to the plastics rule of thumb.” (ProvidenceJournal.com)