Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp. stops accepting shredded paper in mixed recycling

Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp. stops accepting shredded paper in mixed recycling
<![CDATA[To combat rising levels of contamination, Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp. (Resource Recovery), Johnston, Rhode Island, announced shredded paper will no longer be accepted in Rhode Island’s mixed recycling program. While shredded paper is being discontinued curbside, Resource Recovery will continue to accept shredded paper, secured in a bag, at its self-serve small vehicle area (SVA) in Johnston. In addition to the drop-off container, Rhode Island residents can attend shredding events, compost shreds in backyard compost bins or dispose of them in the regular trash.

When Resource Recovery launched single-stream recycling in 2012, shredded paper remained an acceptable material in the mixed recycling program. Unfortunately, the method of double-bagging shredded paper has not been sufficiently effective. While many properly prepared bags have been successfully processed, most of the shreds are not properly prepared. Even when properly prepared, overly compacted recycling trucks can cause bags to break open. When bags break, the loose shreds cover the other recyclables which lowers their value. Keeping shreds out of the mixed recycling will greatly improve the quality of the 450 tons of recyclables that Resource Recovery’s material recovery facility (MRF) processes each day.

In addition, the elimination of paper shreds should also significantly reduce the volume of plastic bags in the recycling. “The two biggest contaminates in our MRF, by far, are shredded paper and plastic bags,” says Krystal Noiseux, education and outreach manager for Resource Recovery. “For the safety of our workers, longevity of our equipment and quality of our recycling, our messaging going forward is clear and simple: No shredded paper and no plastic bags, bags of plastic bags or recycling inside of plastic bags ever.”

To provide residents with more opportunities to properly recycle intact sensitive documents, Resource Recovery is replacing their annual shredding event with four free community shred days. Rhode Island residents who want to shred sensitive personal documents can bring up to two, 22-gallon recycling bins’ worth—free of charge—to Shred RI located at 2111 Plainfield Pike in Johnston on June 17, July 8, Sept. 16 and Nov. 4 from 8 a.m. to noon.

As a reminder, a sensitive or confidential document is one that contains a unique, identifying number that can be traced directly to a specific person and which cannot be found readily through public searches. For example, a person’s name and address is not considered sensitive, confidential information. Junk mail can be recycled whole.
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Source: Recycling Today
Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp. stops accepting shredded paper in mixed recycling
<![CDATA[To combat rising levels of contamination, Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp. (Resource Recovery), Johnston, Rhode Island, announced shredded paper will no longer be accepted in Rhode Island’s mixed recycling program. While shredded paper is being discontinued curbside, Resource Recovery will continue to accept shredded paper, secured in a bag, at its self-serve small vehicle area (SVA) in Johnston. In addition to the drop-off container, Rhode Island residents can attend shredding events, compost shreds in backyard compost bins or dispose of them in the regular trash.When Resource Recovery launched single-stream recycling in 2012, shredded paper remained an acceptable material in the mixed recycling program. Unfortunately, the method of double-bagging shredded paper has not been sufficiently effective. While many properly prepared bags have been successfully processed, most of the shreds are not properly prepared. Even when properly prepared, overly compacted recycling trucks can cause bags to break open. When bags break, the loose shreds cover the other recyclables which lowers their value. Keeping shreds out of the mixed recycling will greatly improve the quality of the 450 tons of recyclables that Resource Recovery’s material recovery facility (MRF) processes each day.In addition, the elimination of paper shreds should also significantly reduce the volume…