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Related Experiment Videos

Recycling in a megacity.

Nickolas J Themelis1, Claire E Todd

  • 1Earth Engineering Center, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA. njt1@columbia.edu

Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association (1995)
|April 30, 2004
PubMed
Summary
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New York City

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Waste Management
  • Urban Planning

Background:

  • The 9/11 disaster prompted New York City's budget cuts, including temporary suspension of glass and plastics recycling.
  • Despite public perception, a significant portion of collected recyclables were landfilled due to market limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the effectiveness of recycling programs in New York City post-9/11.
  • To investigate the reasons behind the landfilling of recyclable materials.
  • To explore potential improvements in recycling rates and collection methods.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of waste management data and recycling practices in New York City.
  • Comparison of source separation rates and collection systems.
  • Evaluation of the impact of materials recovery facilities (MRFs) and single-stream collection.

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Main Results:

  • Nearly 90% of suspended glass and plastic recycling ended up in landfills due to lack of markets.
  • Current source separation rates are below 30%, leading to substantial recyclable material loss.
  • Building modern MRFs and implementing single-stream collection could significantly increase recycling.

Conclusions:

  • Lack of viable markets is a primary driver for landfilling recyclables, even when collected.
  • Single-stream collection, as practiced in Phoenix, AZ, can increase collection efficiency and citizen participation.
  • Improving recycling infrastructure and collection methods offers economic and environmental benefits, reducing landfill burden and conserving resources.