Nationally, a lot of plastic gets thrown away even if it goes in a recycle bin. But the people in charge of recycling in the City of Kalamazoo say it all depends on where you live.
“There’s value in these materials in Michigan, to have them be recycled," said Chris Broadbent, the solid waste coordinator for the city of Kalamazoo.
Broadbent said Kalamazoo's recycling program accepts plastics numbers one through seven because there is a market for them.
He said the city sends its recycling to a material recovery facility in Elkhart, Indiana, where it is sorted, bundled and sold to manufacturers to make new products.
Broadbent said number two plastics in particular - things like milk and laundry jugs - currently sell for about $33 a pound at that facility.
Justin Gish is Kalamazoo's sustainability planner. He said visits to the Elkhart facility have convinced him that recycling in our region works.
“From everything we've gathered, if you put plastics in your recycling bin in Kalamazoo, they get recycled.”
"I think the only way to guarantee that your stuff doesn't get recycled is to not put it in the bin," Gish added.
Still, Broadbent and Gish said Kalamazoo can do better. That's why the city teamed up with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and other groups to launch a contamination reduction campaign for cleaner recycling. The program will alert homeowners when they put non-recyclables into the bin.
To find out what's going in the bin at specific addresses across the city, the main recycling truck was equipped with a camera. When the recycling bin is tipped into the truck, the camera takes a picture to spot the items that can’t be recycled. Things like bagged materials, plastic bags, and electronic cords that can get tangled and caught in the sorters Broadbent said are particularly bad.
This month, residents who put the wrong item in the bin will be mailed a postcard with the photo of their recycling and an explanation of what doesn’t belong.
“This smart camera system is not going to result in enforcement or fine. We are going to be using this to coach and encourage more accurate behaviors in the recycling process,” Broadbent said.
The postcard program starts on the 20th and will run for about two months, but Broadbent said the camera will remain on the truck permanently so the city can continue to monitor recycling.
To help residents, the city has sent out new recycling postcards to show homeowners what items can be included in the bi-weekly recycling pickup at the curb.
The new postcard looks different from the old recycling instructions. The box of cereal is gone, as well as the cartons of milk and juice.
Broadbent said the pictures reflect the most common commodities that the recycling market is buying, but residents aren't limited to only recycling the items pictured.
“We can take those waxy paper board cartons like, the orange juice and the milk, or your almond milk or oat milk cartons, your coffee creamers,” Broadbent said, along with flattened cereal boxes. But, he said, do not put silver-lined paper cartons in the bin.
The city holds recycling events several times a year for Styrofoam and electronics and shredded documents. The next event is on January 25 at Mayors Riverfront Park, 251 Mills St., between 10 AM and 1 PM.
All Kalamazoo residents can participate in the city's recycling program by calling 311 or (269) 337-8000 to order a free recycling bin.
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