Residential recycling contamination throughout all of Brevard County is now running approximately 20-60%, depending on location. Some routes have in the past been so contaminated that the entire truck load had to be landfilled, which is not something that any of us want to see. It is very eye-opening in terms of contaminants going into our single stream. Besides the usual contaminants that you would suspect – garden hoses, clothing, shoes, coat hangers, dishes – there are some very surprising items. Things like brake drums, sheet metal, diapers, bubble wrap, and metal canisters were all among the piles of material going into the dumpster. Propane tanks are especially problematic because if the crews miss one of them going through the line, we have an explosion when it hits the optical scanner and the entire line needs to be shut down. There are “wish-cyclers” across the country who believe that everything should be recycled and therefore place everything into their recycling cart. But if there is no buyer for these items, then it all ends up in the landfill, and ultimately drives up the cost.
PLEASE Recycle often, but also RECYCLE RIGHT. Take a look at these brochures from Waste Management to see what should and should not be placed in your Brevard County recycling carts:
Informational Trifold:
Recycling Poster:
Waste Management Recycling Mythbusters:
