Making recycling pay

摘要

Greensboro, N.C., introduced one of the first single-stream automated recycling programs in the • U.S. 22 years ago. However, we've struggled with contamination for several years. Recyclables we deliver to ReCommunity, our long-time recycling partner, generates revenue for the city. Contamination drastically reduces the material's value and causes significant financial, safety, and operational issues at ReCommunity's plant. The issue came to a head in 2015, when an ReCommunity audit revealed that our single field inspector was able to inspect only 5% of all 80,000 households. At 20%, the residential contamination rate was double the industry average.