Is East Lansing’s Recycling Affected by China’s Refusal of Materials?

Above: Plastic grocery bags are the most common non-recyclable item found in East Lansing’s recycling bins, according to Cathy DeShambo.

An ELi reader wrote in: "I’ve been reading news that some cities are cutting back on recycling programs. These are becoming costlier, partly because China is less willing to buy our often-contaminated recycled materials. Thus, some cities like Philadelphia are burning some of their residents recycling materials, and others put them in landfill. Is this trend affecting East Lansing? What exactly does happen with our various recycled goods?"

Good news: East Lansing’s recycling program is going strong, and recyclable materials collected are not being landfilled or burned. The City plans to continue recycling services well into the future, even with China’s current ban on recycled materials. No shipments of materials from East Lansing have been rejected by the recycling facility where items get processed and sorted, nor has the City been fined for contamination of non-recyclable materials in their loads.

“Contamination” in recycling terms occurs when a product that is not supposed to be recycled, such as grass clippings, is placed in a recycling container. China now refuses to accept over two dozen different recycled materials, including plastic and mixed paper, unless they meet extremely strict non-contamination standards, the majority of which are too stringent for most American recycling companies to achieve. Contamination significantly increases the cost of processing recyclables and it can have a major impact on the quality of materials.

“We have to be diligent and persistent about our recycling rules because we are charged with ensuring that our recycling program remains viable and available to all residents,” says Cathy DeShambo, City of East Lansing’s Environmental Services Administrator.

Below: To reduce contamination in recycling carts, the City routinely inspects bins and places reminder hangtags on carts with non-recyclables such as the items featured in this photo.

One way the City is tackling contamination issues is through recycling bin checks. On rear-loading trucks, recycling carts are manually dumped, allowing staff to inspect contents. Rear-loading trucks are placed on different driving routes regularly so that all areas of the City are inspected.

Automated trucks, which are more common, are equipped with cameras so that drivers can see recycling bin contents. They are, however, less effective at catching contamination.

Bin tags or stickers are left on recycling bins to let residents know what they didn't get right about their recycling.

While East Lansing’s recycling program is still going strong, it has not been untouched by China’s recent ruling. The City is now paying more for recycling according to DeShambo.

“Our intergovernmental agreement with the City of Lansing has provides us some protections in that we have the economy of scale to help our purchasing power. When the recycling markets are strong, our costs are much lower; but when the markets are struggling, as they are right now, we pay more.”

Recyclable materials placed in curbside bins in East Lansing are ultimately combined with the City of Lansing's recycling items and hauled to Republic, a material recovery facility in Detroit.

At Republic the materials are sorted manually and mechanically via vibrating screens, gusts of air, magnets and optical sorting. The equipment separates “flats” like paper from “rounds” such as containers. Eventually after many steps, recyclable materials are sorted by type, baled, and sold to be reused into other materials.

Currently, East Lansing recycles 130 tons of materials a month through the single-stream curbside program and 30-40 tons per month at recycling drop-off sites. Prior to the single-stream curbside cart, East Lansing only collected 50 tons per month.

If you have recyclable items that cannot be placed in the curbside bin, consider participating in two upcoming regional recycling events.

Recycle Rama will take place Saturday, April 13, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ingham County Health Department. The event is open to all and provides an opportunity to recycle or donate Styrofoam, CFLs & fluorescent tubes, medications, thermostats, hearing aids, eyeglasses, electronics, clothing, shoes, working household goods, fabric/yarn, plastic, glass, cardboard, paper, books, bicycles, scrap metal, CDs, DVDs, working appliances, room air conditioners, and dehumidifiers.

Another annual recycling event, specifically for East Lansing residents, is Recycle! East Lansing. The 2019 event takes place Saturday, June 1, 2019, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Abbott Center.

To learn more about East Lansing recycling, and materials that can and cannot be placed in curbside recycling bins visit East Lansing’s recycling website.