1. Sort it Out! MRF Residue/Contamination Issues & Solutions
a perspective from a hauler and processor
Tim Dewey-Mattia
Napa Recycling

2. Napa Recycling – Who are we?
The hauler and the processor
Exclusive hauler for
City of Napa and southern
unincorporated Napa County
City owned facility – NRWS
operates
30,000 households & 1,400 commercial customers
66% diversion rate in City of Napa, 80% diversion rate in County service area

3. Napa Recycling & Composting Facility

5. The issue - residual tonnage doubled at our Napa MRF,  300+ tons/month of potentially “recyclable” material headed to the landfill
Why?
Processing more tons than ever (25k in 2005, 36k in 2010, 42k in 2015)
The “evolving ton”– more plastics, less newspaper, more cardboard
Customer confusion, more commercial material
sort line now 11+ years old, older technology, aging equipment
“MRF overs” off the end of the sort line – no market w/ declining materials markets

6. Other examples in the press recently – including
San Jose’s 40% “contamination” rate

7. dirty food takeout boxes
Some examples:
tissues
dirty food takeout boxes
aluminum pans with leftover food
cans half-full with beans or tuna
Bagged material (CWS installing bag shredders)
From Mercury News article: San Jose: Recycling rule-breakers may be fined for banned items in curbside bins, 9/21/15

8. 21-27% “contamination rate”
Sonoma County –
21-27% “contamination rate”
materials that are no longer accepted in recycling include:
pizza boxes
consolidated plastic bags
shredded paper
The Press Democrat; Recycler fined for garbage-filled Santa Rosa centers, 9/15/15

9. “Contamination” isn’t one thing, and recycling collection service providers, MRF operators, municipalities and finished scrap product consumers view “contamination” differently. Here is [Peter Slote’s] quick matrix: 1. Contamination at the curb (complex relationship to 2 & 3 below) 2. MRF residue – consists of both non-program items (i.e. Styrofoam) and lots of program material (i.e. small glass & paper relegated to residue) 3. Contamination of finished scrap products - non-spec material [both program and non-program] that finds its way into marketed material

10. Who’s contamination is it?
Let’s play Name That Pile!

13. Recycling is Confusing
from RecycleCoach.com

14. Process
Material screened, ground and placed in windrows
15 day process, temps between F
Turned every few days, watered when needed
Screened to 3/8 inch for curing and sale
PET foam – a tale of recycling markets, foam packaging, MRF processing, producer responsibility & truth-in-labeling

15. Q: I am eternally confused about the various bottle caps and container lids, both metal and plastic, that come with so many of our purchases. What can go in the recycling bin, and what can’t?
Other topics from The Compost Corner – coffee pods, corks, balloons, compost or recycle paper, that kinda rigid plastic that my Trader Joe’s ravioli come in…

16. So Let’s Sort it Out! from OaklandRecycles.com
new MRF technologies, and funding for MRF upgrades
secondary MRFs - need to make it worth sorting again
market assistance - product stewardship, takeback programs, CRV, material bans of problem materials, etc.
Effective education and outreach
different levels – simple basic info,
with more detailed info available
other ideas – compost paper under 2”
from OaklandRecycles.com
Haulers, processers, local and state government, manufacturers…we all need to engage in this process

17. Curbside compost service helps complete the picture
We get less soiled paper in the recycling now that we have a full food composting program
Recent residential waste audit showed only 2% of landfill tons readily recyclable in program

18. Plastic Bag Ban – immediate 50% decline in plastic bags
The solution
In addition, recent maintenance on the conveyors has decreased residue by about 100 tons/month

19. Questions? Tim Dewey-Mattia Recycling & Public Education Manager
Napa Recycling & Waste Services
x1204
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