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Recycling sites could be closed

Operators say too much trash is mixed in at local drop-offs

Some recycling sites around the county could be closed if trash continues to be mixed in with recyclables.

Robert Reiter, district coordinator for the South Eastern Ohio Joint Solid Waste Management District, said the problem of people mixing their trash and plastic bags in with recyclables has become an epidemic. Reiter said people in the county have been putting in used infant and adult diapers, single use bags, electronics, styrofoam and clothing material, just to name a few of the unrecyclable materials that contaminate any one of their 12 bins around the county.

“Goodwill may take in used clothes, but we don’t,” he said.

Reiter said there is only one other thing to do if people don’t start using the recycling bins properly.

“The last option we have is to start closing locations,” he said.

Reiter said in the coming months each bin will be checked for contamination after it is picked up for processing, and if it meets standards, that site won’t be shut down.

“If contamination gets to 5 to 15 percent(of the entire bin), it’s unacceptable,” he said.

Reiter said the sites that continually fail the inspection could be shut down as early as March, leaving people to search for the next nearest bin in the county.

The majority of people in the area do pay attention to what they put in the recycling bins, but the bad apples are ruining it for everyone, he said.

“It really is overwhelming,” he said. “This is all because of those few people that abuse the system. We have tried everything, this is our last try at stopping it.”

Gayane Macaryan, communications manager for Rumpke Waste and Recycling, said Rumpke has seen problems with contamination as well. Rumpke offers curbside recycling to areas including Marietta and Devola.

“Contamination has been an issue at our facilities,” she said. “One thing we want to stress is the hazardous materials like batteries shouldn’t be put in the bins. Since 30 percent of all recyclables are paper products, a spark from the batteries could start a fire.”

Reiter said the most prevalent unapproved material they receive is plastic bags.

“We get way too many animal feed bags, shopping bags and trash bags,” he said.

Even if a person transports their recyclables in a bag to the bins, the filled bags might not get recycled.

“If we see a bag coming down the line, we just take it out and it goes to the landfill…We don’t even look to see what’s in it,” he said. “Dump the bag in the bin and take it with you.”

Reiter said one of the main reasons for not accepting the plastic bags is a January 2018 freeze by China on accepting most recyclable materials from other countries. According to a 2018 Greenpeace investigation titled “Unearthed,” China shredded the bags in order to make the plastic needed for new products. Due to the contamination of the recycled goods being imported, China had to sort and then put the unusable material in landfills. The extra time and environmental implications forced China to react with the embargo.

Reiter said another reason for the ban on plastic bags in Washington County recycling bins is the toll it takes on his company’s equipment.

“Sometimes we’ll get a tangler,” he said, referring to a bag that gets stuck in the rollers of the recycling production line, forcing it to stop until it’s removed.

“It can take from one to four hours to get the bags free,” he said. “Sometimes we even need a sawzall to cut them out…Just take them to Walmart or Kroger if you want to recycle them.”

Allison McGee, media representative for Kroger, said her organization is happy to take the plastic bags for recycling.

“We have stations inside every store for recycling the bags,” she said.

McGee said that her company has also seen the environmental impacts of single use bags as well, and have implemented a change that hopes to lessen Kroger’s negative impact on the environment.

“Under our new ‘Zero Hunger, Zero Waste’ initiative, all of our stores will stop using single use bags by 2025,” she said. “But with our commitment to zero waste, I anticipate we will still recycle the bags after the change.”

Items not accepted at recycling bins

• Egg cartons.

• Juice and frozen food boxes.

• Pizza boxes.

• Plastic trash and grocery bags.

• Tissue, napkins or paper towels.

• Food trays.

• Oil and antifreeze containers.

• Yogurt cups.

• Buckets.

• Window glass or automotive glass.

• Ceramics materials/kitchen dishware including drinking glasses, cups, mugs, dishware, pots, pans, plates, silverware and other eating utensils.

• Light bulbs.

• Clothing.

• Wood or wooden pallets.

• Toys, pools or pool liners.

• Aerosol cans.

• Steel and plastic drums.

Washington County recycling drop off locations

•Washington County: Friends of Recycling, 915 Gilman Ave., Marietta.

•Fearing Township: I-77 rest area.

•Waterford Township: Beverly 1 at Ferry Street.

•Waterford Township: Beverly 2 at Ferry Street.

•Devola: firehouse lot.

•Oak Grove: community building.

•Reno: VFD firehouse lot.

•Little Hocking: firehouse lot.

•Barlow Township: township garage lot.

•Salem Township: barber shop parking lot.

•Lowell: firehouse lot.

•New Matamoras: IGA/Amos car Sales parking lot.

Source: Robert Reiter.

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