Study shows commercial recycling decreased in New York City
Study shows commercial recycling decreased in New York City
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A recently published study shows that New York City’s commercial recycling rate has dropped to as low as 19 percent, a report from the New York Daily News says.
That’s well below the national average of 34 percent, and 10 points lower than the city’s own average of 29 percent in a 2004 study, the study from the environmental coalition Transform Don’t Trash (transformdonttrashnyc.org), reported by the NY Daily News, found.
The group, a mix of activists and unions who work in the garbage biz, analyzed data that the private carting companies are required to report to the state and found some of the biggest haulers barely attempt to recycle, according to the NY Daily News. Mr. T Carting, one of the biggest trash companies in the city, reported only recycling about 11 percent of what it hauls, according to the report.
Ernie Waight, an ex-sanitation worker, told the New York Daily News that it’s an open, dirty secret that the companies don’t recycle.
“They don’t recycle glass, bottles or cans,” he said. “That’s been going on for 25 years, the whole time I’ve been in the industry.”
Adam Collison, who owns two bars and a restaurant in Queens and Brooklyn, told the NY Daily News one hauler told him not to bother even separating his recyclables.
“All of our wine bottles, all of our liquor bottles weren’t being recycled,” he said. “Now we’re putting out our bottles out for people who are happy to take the five cents.”
Justin Wood, a researcher of the study from New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, told the NY Daily News that rates are low because—unlike residential recycling handled by the city—the private industry hasn’t been incentivized to make changes.
Mayor de Blasio has promised to reduce trash taken to landfills by 90% by 2030, but that plan only deals with residential waste, the New York Daily News says.
“While we don’t have control over private waste haulers, we know the commercial sector can and wants to do better, and that’s why the city has been actively working to gain the regulatory tools to achieve these goals,” a spokeswoman for the mayor told the New York Daily News.
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Source: Recycling Today
Study shows commercial recycling decreased in New York City
<![CDATA[A recently published study shows that New York City’s commercial recycling rate has dropped to as low as 19 percent, a report from the New York Daily News says. That’s well below the national average of 34 percent, and 10 points lower than the city’s own average of 29 percent in a 2004 study, the study from the environmental coalition Transform Don’t Trash (transformdonttrashnyc.org), reported by the NY Daily News, found. The group, a mix of activists and unions who work in the garbage biz, analyzed data that the private carting companies are required to report to the state and found some of the biggest haulers barely attempt to recycle, according to the NY Daily News. Mr. T Carting, one of the biggest trash companies in the city, reported only recycling about 11 percent of what it hauls, according to the report. Ernie Waight, an ex-sanitation worker, told the New York Daily News that it’s an open, dirty secret that the companies don’t recycle. “They don’t recycle glass, bottles or cans,” he said. “That’s been going on for 25 years, the whole time I’ve been in the industry.” Adam Collison, who owns two bars and a…