Adding More Plastics to NYC's Recycling Program?

Many members of the public want to add plastic containers other than bottles and jugs to the NYC recycling program. Right now, this is not the best option for NYC, although in the future conditions may change so that recycling these materials makes environmental and economic sense.

plastics in nyc's waste stream
adding more plastics to nyc's recycling program
monitoring markets and technologies for plastics recycling

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what plastics to recycle in nyc
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Plastics in NYC's Waste Stream

It is understandable that some New Yorkers want to recycle more types of plastics in addition to bottles and jugs. It's important to know that tubs, trays and other rigid containers bearing a numerical resin code make up a small amount of material in the waste stream. For every pound of plastic bottles and jugs discarded by New Yorkers, there are only two ounces of numbered tubs, trays, and other non-bottle rigid containers - all of which have to be sorted by type into even smaller quantities to be recycled.

Because these additional plastics are so low in quantity and so wide in variety of types, it is important to ensure that there are viable, stable markets to recycle these items before making the investment to sort and process them.

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Adding More Plastics to NYC's Recycling Program

The New York City Council passed 11 Local Laws in 2010 to update and expand the NYC Recycling Law. Local Law 35 of 2010  sets the stage to allow NYC to add rigid containers to the recycling program when it becomes cost-effective.

After the recycling facility at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal  in Sunset Park, Brooklyn is operational, DSNY will evaluate on an annual basis the viability of recycling additional plastics. When it is determined that additional types of plastics can be recycled cost effectively, then all of NYC’s recycling education materials will be updated to reflect this.

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Monitoring Markets and Technologies for Plastic Recycling

At the DSNY Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling, we constantly monitor the state of plastic recycling through trade publications, internet research, and professional contacts. We do in-depth research on new technologies, processes, and materials. When we learn of a new option, we check it out to see whether it will reliably work with NYC's commingled collections, on the enormously large scale required.

Any changes to NYC's program will depend on the emergence of accessible and stable markets for these additional types of plastics, as well as new technologies and infrastructure that make sorting the additional types of plastics practicable. If and when new technologies and infrastructure emerge that change the economic viability of recycling other plastics, NYC may add additional plastics to the recycling program, but not before.

We welcome information that is well-researched and well-documented as to new markets or technologies that would work with NYC's commingled, residential collections.

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