In recent months, dozens of US towns, including several in Oregon, have sent thousands of tons of recycled materials left on the roadside to landfills.
The New York Times reported that in the past, local governments shipped most of the paper, plastics and other waste they used to China. But as part of a widespread anti-pollution campaign, China announced last summer that it would no longer import “foreign wasteâ€. "Since January 1, China has banned the import of various types of plastics and paper, and has raised the standards for the materials it accepts.
Although some scrap companies have changed to domestically process recyclable materials or ship more materials to other countries, some scrap companies have been unable to find alternative markets in China. Pete Keller, vice president of recycling and sustainability at Republic Services, one of the largest waste management companies in the United States, said: "Suddenly, there is no place to go for waste collected on the streets."
As China's requirements are more stringent, this means that if the waste contains non-recyclable materials, it is more likely to be considered a pollutant. This complicates the problem that waste companies call it wishful or purposeful recycling: people put items on their side for recycling because they believe or hope they can be recycled, even if they can't.
Keller said that since the entry into force of the Chinese ban, Republican services have transferred more than 2,000 tons of waste paper to landfills in the Pacific Northwest. He said the company could not transfer these materials to other markets "at any price or cost." Although the Republican service has so far only dumped a small portion of its total inventory – the company processes more than 5 million tons of renewable materials annually in the United States – it has seldom or even sent waste paper to the trash last year. Landfill.
But for small companies, such as Rogue Disposal and Recycling, which serves the majority of Oregon, the Chinese ban has overturned the business. The company's spokesperson, Garry Penning, said that in the first few months of this year, it sent all recyclables to landfills.
The western states that rely most on Chinese recycling plants are particularly hard hit. In some areas, such as Eugene in Oregon, parts of Idaho, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii, local officials and garbage trucks will no longer accept certain recyclables, and in some cases refuse to accept most plastics, glass, and Some types of waste paper. Instead, they say consumers should throw these things into the trash.
Theresa Byrne, who lives in Salem, Oregon, said the city had been dragging on for too long to inform residents that most plastic products, eggs and milk cartons are now considered garbage. “I am very angry,†she said. "I believe in the concept of recycling."
Other communities, such as Oregon's Grants Pass, which is about 37,000 people, continue to encourage residents to recycle as usual, but these materials will still be piled up in landfills. Local waste companies say they are worried that if residents are allowed to stop recycling, it may be difficult for them to start again in the future.
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