AFPA Releases Report on Single-Stream Recycling

The American Forest & Paper Association released the results of a study conducted by Jaakko Pöyry Consulting and Skumatz Economic Research Associates that looked at the impact single stream collection programs had on recycling operations compared to a dual stream collection program.

According to the AFPA, the study showed the following:

·          Overall system-wide expenses increased an average of $3/ton for paper collected in single stream programs. This includes costs for collection, processing at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), and mill utilization.

·            Curbside collection costs tended to be about $15/ton lower for single stream programs.

·            Sorting costs at the MRF averaged $10/ton more for single stream programs.

·          Mills incurred operating and maintenance cost increases of about $8/ton when using recovered paper from single stream programs. These costs include equipment maintenance costs, as well as sorting and disposal of other recyclable materials such as glass, plastic, aluminum and steel that contaminate paper when not separated prior to arriving at a paper mill.

The study concluded that the total cost per year for U.S. paper mills producing grades that use ONP and residential mixed paper would increase by about $50 million dollars, if single stream collection programs were implemented universally.

A portion of this cost would be incurred by mills forced to buy more recovered fiber, and ultimately dispose of more rejects, because of the lower quality and higher contaminant levels commonly present in single stream collection.