Chris Militzer
Updated December 2019
I was a recycling center’s nightmare.
As my recycling receptacle grew from an 18-gallon bin to 65-gallon cart, so did my misguided ‘fill-the-bin’ enthusiasm. With a better-safe-than-sorry rationale, into the bin went my Starbucks cup and take-out food cartons. So, too, did almost-empty cosmetics and toothpaste tubes and spaghetti sauce jars with more than a faint residue. I may have even tossed in a defunct phone charging block or two. Those are mostly plastic, right?
Like many people, I had way too much faith in my big blue bin — not to mention the recycling process in general.
The truth is that most local recycling processors have limited ability to remove contaminants, such as food or cosmetic residue, or to separate plastic parts from metal or paper components.
I was a “wishcycler,” according to Helen Lee, Environmental Program Manager for Alexandria City’s Resource Recovery. In other words, a well-meaning individual who optimistically placed too much in the recycling bin, trying to recycle items inappropriate for the residential collection stream. In addition to my transgressions, some wishcyclers try to recycle metal pans, hoses, hangers, Christmas lights, food and other organic waste, clothing, and even dirty diapers.
Wishcycling hurts the bottom line of jurisdictions across the country, including those in Northern Virginia. Once revenue-producing, recycling now operates in the red. It currently costs Alexandria City about $25 per ton to recycle. (For comparison, trash disposal costs $43 per ton.)
This past summer, industry experts warned of an impending doubling in the cost of residential recycling. Though part of the increase can be attributed to hiring workers to tend the sorter when it jams and hand-pick through the sloppy mess that comes from our blue carts, a bigger driver of the increase has been China.
Once the buyer for about 40 percent of our scrap material, China put the world on notice through an announcement to the World Trade Organization in July 2017: China is enacting higher standards when it comes to the types of waste and the levels of contaminants the country is willing to accept. China’s announcement meant it no longer wanted recycling bales dripping with last month’s take-out (and, they mentioned, traces of lead and mercury). The result has led to a market glut of recycled materials and plummeting prices.
In an effort to clean up our act, Alexandria City recently launched a 20-year plan called the WasteSmart Strategic Plan (alexandriava.gov/WasteSmart), adopted in January 2019. One arm of the program will educate residents on items which shouldn’t go in the residential recycling cart. In some cities, non-recyclables account for 50 percent of the recycling haul. Cutting down on wish-cycling should not only positively affect the bottom line but will also improve the region’s overall environmental footprint.
Instead of contributing to contamination, residents are encouraged to confirm online or double check with their local individual collectors. Here are a few more tips:
Posers in the can. That paper Starbucks coffee cup and take-out food cartons look recyclable, but as it currently stands, the cups and other water-resistant paper products are recycling contaminants in the general collection. This paper-plastic collab, often referred to as poly-cardboard, is sprayed with a thin plastic coating, giving it a waxy sheen. It not only keeps cups, containers and political signs from getting soggy, but also from breaking down during the recycling process. Does it matter? Yes, as too many contaminants in a load could mean it will not be processed.
Tanglers. Similar to the roller in your vacuum at home, plastic bags and film wrap around the rollers in the recycling sorter and must be manually cut out. This creates costly work stoppages. Instead, recycle bags and film including bread bags, popped air pillows, plastic wrap, and dry cleaning bags, in the bin in many grocery stores. Search “find a drop off” at plasticfilmrecycling.org. Cut down on plastic bag waste by remembering to shop with reusable bags.
Other knotty headaches for the recycler include metal hangers, wires and cords. (Search “Recycling at Home” at alexandriava.gov). Metal hangers can go back to the cleaners. Wires and cords (including holiday light strings) are accept-ed by the City’s Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Collection Center (3224 Colvin St.). In Fairfax County, drop wires and cords off at collection sites on West Ox Road in Fairfax or Furnace Road in Lorton.
Organic food and yard waste. ‘Recyclable’ is not synonymous with ‘compostable,’ though that doesn’t keep people from trying. Composting yard waste, soil and food requires a different process. That’s why, although a spot or two of grease on a pizza box is not a big deal, items more contaminated with food waste should not be recycled. To prepare jars and containers for recycling, swish a bit of water and pour out the residue.
Umm… poop. Though it should go with-out saying, those in the recycling biz would to remind everyone: Do not put pet waste bags in residential recycling or public recycling receptacles. Other cringe-worthy no-nos include diapers, syringes, band-aids, paper towels or tissues. This type of waste not only contaminates recycling but makes it both unpleasant and unsanitary for human workers who sort recycling by hand.
Yogurt, clamshells and other puzzlers. Clamshell take-out containers, rig-id plastic lettuce boxes, and yogurt containers pose a conundrum for many. The answer for Alexandria City residents is ‘no’ when it comes to clamshell type plastic fruit or salad containers, but ‘yes’ for yogurt tubs — as long as they’re clean, dry and empty of food waste. Since Fairfax County contracts with a number of private collection companies, residents should check with their individual servicer. Either way, it’s best to keep an eye on these items, as the recycling market continues to be in a state of flux.
Mixed-materials. There’s no blue magic in the recycling can. Items made of mixed materials only belong in the can IF you can manually separate them first. That means keep out food containers that are cardboard on one side and aluminum foil on the other, or poly-cardboard cups and paper plates. Foil-accented plastic food and laundry pod pouches are not allowed, either. That said, the bins at MOM’s Market (3831 Mt. Vernon Ave.) do seem to have a little fairy dust — or at least the right connections — to recycle some mixed items. That includes foil-lined plastic packages, cosmetic and toiletry items, and alkaline batteries.
When it comes to many mixed-materials such as pots and pans, metal blinds, small household appliances like a toast-er and other electronics, it can be worth a try to find a new home with a neighbor or nonprofit.
If there aren’t any takers, drop items at Alexandria’s Covanta facility (5301 Eisenhower Avenue). Fairfax County residents should double check to see what their servicer accepts, but they can always take items to the collection sites at on West Ox Road in Fairfax or Furnace Road in Lorton.
Glass. Glass costs much more to recycle than other materials, posing a bit of a conundrum for many jurisdictions struggling to find a buyer— Alexandria included. In 2019, the City launched special "purple can" containers for glass-only collection at all recycling drop-off centers. In January 2020, Alexandria will join Fairfax County in no longer accepting glass in curbside recycling bins. Residents wishing to recycle glass should bring it to one of the purple bin collection sites in the region (see the map of locations here).
Glass collected locally is recycled in Fairfax County for processing into sand and gravel for local use in landscaping and construction.
When it comes to mirrors, window glass, and broken glass, individual jurisdictions have their own approach on how to keep shards from contaminating paper and plastic bales. Alexandria City and Fairfax residents should use a hard plastic container to package drinking glass, broken glass and other small glass items before disposing of in the trash. Fairfax asks that windows and mirrors to be taken to the collection sites at 4618 West Ox Road in Fairfax or 9850 Furnace Road in Lorton.
Of course, for eye-glasses, the Lions Eyeglass Recycling Center of Northern Virginia encourages residents to use the collection boxes in eye-care centers and many Alexandria City libraries and public secondary schools.
For a greener environmental foot-print, people need to rethink, explains Lori Arguelles from the Alice Ferguson Foundation, an environmental education and advocacy organization just across the river in Accokeek, MD. Arguelles says a greater focus on source reduction — recycling lingo for creating less waste — places less demands on recycling overall.
One simple place to start, explains Arguelles, is by using less products made of styrofoam and single-use plastic, such as plastic straws. She explains that on a recent Potomac Watershed cleanup day, volunteers collected more than 1,600 straws along the waterfront in a period of 3 hours. Individuals and groups can visit and learn more (301-292-5665, 2001 Bryan Point Rd, Accokeek, MD).
Jen Budlong Cole, executive director for Clean Fairfax, agrees. She suggests that in addition to learning the do’s and don’t’s of recycling, individuals should add a host of other environmentally sound ‘r’ words into their vocabulary, including refuse, reduce, reuse, reclaim, rot, renew, rethink and repurpose.
I’ve come a long way from my wishcycling days. More importantly, my entire family has adopted a few ways to cut down on waste. Stainless steel, dishwasher-safe straws have replaced plastic straws for my teens. And I make it to the grocery store check-out line, more times than not, with a crumpled pile of reusable bags. Our next challenge? Composting.
For now though, we’ll celebrate the small victories. Keep updated on how you can start better recycling habits by signing up for Alexandria City’s Solid Waste & Recycling eNews (alexandriava.gov/Recycling). Fairfax County residents should visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/publicworks/recycling-and-trash to learn who their collector is, what they take and more.
Here’s how you can do good for the earth and for your neighbors.
Support Mount Vernon Community School, currently accepting items for MV Big Flea at Mt. Vernon Rec Center on April 27. Check the acceptable donations list (mvbigflea.wordpress.com/donation-guide).
Year-long, high-quality, gently used clothing and household items can be donated to Look Again Resale Shop (900 King Street). Support local sight-saving programs through Prevention of Blindness Society (youreyes.org/resaleshops/look-again-alexandria). They’ll even pick up large items, as will Salvation Army (satruck.org) and Habitat for Humanity’s Restore (select “Donate Items” on the drop-down “Support” tab at habitat.org). The Habitat for Humanity Restore in Alexandria’s West End also accepts building materials and DIY items such as paint.
Help fight homelessness by donating gently used or new household items including twin sheets and air mattresses, along with personal care items, to Carpenter’s Shelter (at 5701-D Duke Street; contact Jamila Smith at 703-548-7500 ext. 213).
Take your older but unstained towels and fleece blankets to Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (4101 Eisenhower Avenue). As with all non-profits, it never hurts to call the shelter first to assess current needs and storage capabilities (703-746-4774).
Got a drawer full of shells, buttons, marbles, keys, costume jewelry, and cassettes? Upcycle Creative Use Center (1605 Cameron St.) accepts a surprising plethora of junk drawer collections, and likely much of the stuff in your catch-all closet pile. For a complete list, select “Materials Donation” on the “Materials Center” drop-down menu at www.upcyclecrc.org. An added bonus: the center accepts donations of medium-sized glass.
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2019 print edition of Alexandria Living Magazine. To subscribe, click here.
