Commentary: The impact happens after collection

Events like Super Bowl LX can add more bins and reusable cups and have the ideal front-of-house setup, but the impact that needs to be measured is if the recycled commodities get integrated back into the manufacturing process and the cups get returned. As global events like the Olympics publish recycling totals, those totals should measure what material is actually processed throughout the recycling supply chain.

At mega events, recycling numbers usually reflect what was collected, which confirms that the material entered the system, not what was actually recovered. That number is easy to communicate, but it’s not the same as verified recycling.

Once material in recycling bins exits the venue, it moves through haulers, material recovery facilities (MRFs) and processors.

Anyone who has operated an MRF knows the number that matters is not delivered tons but recovered tons for recycled content integration.

If an event reports 100 tons collected for recycling, the necessary question is how many of those 100 tons were reprocessed and integrated back into the manufacturing process. Collection is the beginning of recycling, not the end of it.

Coordination also becomes a primary issue for these large events. Temporary contracts and multiple vendors make consistent documentation difficult. Reporting often stops at collection or sorting because that’s the easiest number to capture.

If recycling is going to be measured on an Olympic scale with the same precision as energy or emissions reporting, the measurement must follow the material to the manufacturing process. It means providing the transparency of the recovery of verified recycled content in published metrics.

These data points already exist in the system. What’s missing is integration and using technology to evolve from data collection on spreadsheets to a digitized platform to more accurately report across the supply chain.  

If recycling is going to be treated as a performance metric, it should include the transparency of the full recycling supply chain. That’s what a verified circular recycling process looks like at scale.

J.T. Marburger is CEO and founder of Circular Solutions, which has created a technology platform that brings transparency, credibility and measurement to recycling and waste diversion by leveraging artificial intelligence and blockchain technology.