Crisis Changes Recycling

One year ago, China stopped accepting most American scrap plastic and cardboard - rejecting all but the cleanest, most conforming items - throwing a wrench into U.S. recycling programs. Now, cities and towns across the U.S. are dealing with piles of homeless plastic with no clear destination because markets for #4, #5, and #7 plastics are now almost non-existent and plastic bags are considered a contaminant. As a result, these items are in many cases leaving the recycling facility as trash and being landfilled. In the past 10 years Camden County, like many other places, started Single Stream Recycling, where residents combine all recyclable materials into one container for pickup. The Borough of Merchantville will continue to educate residents about effective, clean recycling measures. Recently, neighboring municipalities have experienced their recycling rejected due to contamination. Let’s all reduce how much plastic we use and remember, only plastic #1 & #2 can be placed in the blue bins. The following items should be placed in your curbside recycling container: Newspaper • mixed paper including junk mail • magazines • catalogs • school papers • office papers etc… • paper packaging • paperboard cartons for foods such as cereal boxes, pasta boxes and tissue boxes, etc… • softcover books • phone books • cardboard • glass bottles and jars • aluminum and steel cans • aluminum and steel lids • CLEAN CONTAINERS like Plastic bottles and jars with #1 or #2 found on the bottom • milk and juice cartons • paper towel and toilet paper inserts.