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curbside programs. Dual stream programs were increasingly rare and research found very few source-separated or mixed waste programs (where recyclables and trash are collected together and sorted later). In terms of collection containers, the study identified cart usage as widespread, with 44% of residents in single family-based curbside programs now using carts for collection; another 18% of residents had multiple options for collection, which may include carts. Traditional recycling bins were used by 23% of residents (these figures include population in “single family-based” curbside programs, meaning programs that cover single family homes and may include multi-family as well, depending on the program). Drop-off recycling For this issue, the research team began with the question of what makes a drop-off program “available” to consumers, noting that this is another subject with wide variability in regional standards. Some states require a certain number of dropoff locations per capita, while other states focus on curbside recycling, and may have few drop-offs in operation. Outside of policy variables, some people are, of course, willing to drive farther to recycle than others, and people in different parts of the country are accustomed to driving different distances to reach all local services, not just recycling. So while there was no one perfect way to identify the area served by a given drop-off facility, the study looked at information provided by municipalities and counties as a guide to what was considered reasonable locally—if a community directed residents to use the drop-off one town over, that location would be considered “available” to residents of both areas. The programs included in this study via this methodology covered 64% of the U.S. population. Two-thirds of residents with drop-offs also had curbside service available, while one-third had dropoff recycling only. Some types of drop-off recycling were outside the focus of this research. The recycling ecosystem includes a variety of recycling outlets for different products: store-based drop-offs for items such as plastic bags and film; manufacturer based drop-offs for products like foam polystyrene; county-run hazardous household waste (HHW) programs that may accept some aerosol containers; bottle and can redemption facilities in states with bottle bill programs and numerous other programs. While these material-specific programs were not covered in this study, they are an important part of an expanded picture of drop-off recycling availability and another area where additional research will be useful. Accepted materials in recycling programs The final, and largest, piece of the study was to determine the materials accepted in curbside and drop-off recycling programs, and therefore provide an estimate of the availability of recycling for specific materials and package types. The study covered over 40 items and graded programs based on the actual directions provided to consumers regarding each one. For example, programs listing “aerosol cans” on their guidelines for residents were recorded as explicitly accepting these containers, while programs listing “all aluminum” or “all metals” would be recorded as implicitly accepting them as part of a broader category. For each material, we also recorded if programs listed it as a prohibitive, either explicitly or implicitly. This data allowed the sponsors of the study to understand if the specific packages of interest to them were seen as positives or negatives in community recycling programs. Not all 40+ materials can be discussed here, but the study did find that metal containers, including aerosols, were widely accepted in recycling programs. The benchmark of 60% of the U.S. population having programs available to recycle an item is used to determine if a recyclable logo can be printed on the product without being considered deceptive advertising. All four of the metal cans in the study easily met this threshold. More information Over the course of the study, the research team evaluated over 2,000 recycling programs, with a full review of program information made available to the public. This article contains only a fraction of the data gathered through this process and the conclusions drawn. To read the complete study report, visit www.greenblue.org. Find detailed information on the separate report covering aerosol containers in the Aug. ’16 issue of SPRAY (p.10) and at www.cspa.org. Spray September 2016 Spray 21


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