NWRA releases residential waste management processing facilities white paper

As states and local governments pursue higher recycling or diversion goals, the concept of mechanically separating recyclables from garbage is gaining increased interest, the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), Washington, says. For this reason, the NWRA has developed a white paper on the various kinds of processing facilities for recyclables, with an emphasis on residential mixed waste processing. 

The paper is available at https://wasterecycling.org/blog/2015/06/10/residential-waste-management-processing-facilities/.

In the paper NWRA says it is technology neutral and opposes the use of flow control or other provisions mandating the use of specific waste management and recycling facilities.

The paper also describes several types of processing facilities that differ by the material’s source. These facilities range from material recovery facilities (MRFs) that process recyclables that are kept separate from waste to residential mixed waste processing facilities that process recyclables commingled with waste. The paper also looks at the impact of different facilities on recyclables such as metals and paper.

Residential mixed waste processing facilities provide greater access to potentially recyclable materials than source separation does, as this method is dependent on generator participation, the NWRA says, adding that the potentially recyclable materials are more contaminated because recyclables are mixed with garbage, making recovery more difficult.

More information on the white paper is available from NWRA’s Chaz Miller at cmiller@wasterecycling.org.