[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.14.4″ background_color=”#d9ae52″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_start=”rgba(224,153,0,0.73)” background_color_gradient_end=”rgba(224,153,0,0.91)” background_color_gradient_overlays_image=”on” background_image=”https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/altatena-woods-bgrnd.jpg” background_position=”top_center” custom_padding=”39px||41px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ transparent_background=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_colors_info=”{}” max_width=”100%” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.1″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”100%” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Title Header” _builder_version=”4.14.1″ text_font=”Crimson Text||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”30″ header_font_size=”63px” background_layout=”dark” custom_padding=”|||44px|false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”|||44px|false|false” custom_padding_phone=”|||44px|false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Where Does the Stuff in the Blue Bin Go?<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″ background_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0)” transparent_background=”on” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ _builder_version=”4.13.0″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”91%” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_4_text_color=”#6B6B6B” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
We see them every week. Those monster gray and red Athens trucks with giant metal arms that reach down to grab bins holding tons of garbage, yard waste and recycling Altadenans throw away each week. And the stuff in the blue bin, where does it go? What happens to all the milk cartons, cardboard boxes, junk mail, soup cans, milk jugs, pasta sauce jars that were in our kitchens for a short time then relegated to the blue bin? Is it really recycled? Yes, for the most part. Does most of it end up in landfills? Not in Athens\u2019 case. Does it go to China? Not anymore.<\/p>\n
What follows is just a bit of what Mark Goldschmidt, editor of this newsletter, and I saw when we took a tour of one of Athens\u2019 recycling centers. Leading the way was Brian Hunter, the Operations Manager and Jessica Aldridge, Director of Sustainability. If any of you have an opportunity to take a similar tour \u2013 do it! It will change your view of our consumerist society.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n First, don\u2019t call it a \u201crecycling center.\u201d Those in the business call it a \u201cMerf\u201d short for \u201cMaterials Recovery Facility\u201d or MRF.<\/p>\n Athens has three MRFs. One in the City of Industry and two in Sun Valley. We visited one of the Sun Valley facilities, 17 miles west of Altadena, which opened in 2014. The facility is a huge LEED certified\u00a0 <\/span>80,000 square foot, three-story building full of roaring machines. Athens still needs more capacity, and is building a fourth MRF in Irwindale.<\/p>\n \n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/BlueBin.jpg” title_text=”BlueBin” show_in_lightbox=”on” _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.05)” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” width=”91%” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” width=”91%” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Trucks arrive and drive onto the scales? A code reader identifies each truck, and automatically registers its route and payload. A detector next to the scales senses anything radioactive. It\u2019s rare, but does happen from time to time. Usually it\u2019s medical waste.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The truck then enters a cavernous indoor area and dumps its load on the \u201ctipping floor\u201d. A tractor-like machine with a big \u201cclaw\u201d fluffs up discarded stuff that has become compacted. Workers spot and remove hazardous waste and large non-recyclable items. Would you believe that people have actually put bowling balls in the recycling?! This is not only stupid it\u2019s dangerous, when tipped from the truck it becomes a 10-pound projectile.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n After a preliminary sorting, the rest is put on a conveyor belt. Since many people put their recycling in plastic bags, the first stop is the \u201cBag Breaker.\u201d Rotating rubber discs rip open the plastic bags to let the recyclables out. Please, keep your recyclables loose in the bin. Bagging them just makes for more work, and plastic bags are not recyclable at the MRF where they are knows as \u201ctanglers\u201d that clog machines.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#FFFFFF” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” width=”91%” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” width=”91%” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n As the recyclable material continues its trip up a big conveyor belt the next step is to separate cardboard. Big discs turn and allow the small or heavier items like metal cans to fall below. The larger, lighter cardboard continues on and will eventually be \u201cbaled\u201d into large cubes of for shipment. It will be made into new packaging.<\/p>\n After that, containers and paper are separated \u2013 they call paper \u201cfiber.\u201d This is where humans come in. Athens employs 1,730 people, many of whom work at the MRF\u2019s sorting lines, tossing out contaminated fiber like wet paper or greasy pizza boxes. The belts move at 150 feet per minute, so workers \u2013 mostly women \u2014 sitting next to the line have to move fast. The smell is not terrible but not great. It\u2019s rather \u201csour.\u201d Throughout the facility, and especially at all openings to the outside and at roof vents Athens uses misters to keep smells and dust down.<\/p>\n It is noisy. I asked if employees on the line were allowed to listen to music or podcasts on ear-buds while they work. No, unfortunately that\u2019s not allowed. If an alarm goes off or there is another danger, they need to hear it.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Next, the line passes under powerful magnets that capture cans and other ferrous metals. Lightweight aluminum cans are winnowed with a blower, then go to a crusher. By the way, it\u2019s best if you do not flatten your aluminum cans. The sorters work best with uncrushed cans.<\/p>\n Now for plastics. These are tricky, there are so many kinds. You have probably noticed those tiny triangles imprinted on the bottom of plastic containers; they have a number in the middle from 1 to 7. With the help of a magnifying glass you can read them. But how do they \u201cread\u201d them at a MRF? The answer \u2013 optics. Light beams don\u2019t read numbers. They read the composition of the plastic in everything from water bottles to shampoo containers. If you are a numbers reader like me, note that 1, 2 and 5 are the most re-useable. Number 7 is not good. Number 4s should go back to the store. Styrofoam is not recyclable.<\/p>\n Toward the end of the process, a system using artificial intelligence is able to identify desirables that may have slipped through the system. As Athens explains it: \u201cMax-AI employs multi-layered neural networks, along with a vision system, to \u2018see\u2019 and identify objects similar to the way a person does.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″ transparent_background=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ _builder_version=”4.13.0″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”91%” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.1″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n After a long trip through bag busters, conveyor belts, weight separators, optic detectors, magnets and human sorters the final \u201crecovered\u201d materials are ready to be pressed into bales. This happens on the lower level where the useable stuff has collected in various bins. Cardboard is pressed into huge bales then loaded into containers and trucked to domestic customers or to a port where it is shipped to other countries to be recycled.<\/p>\n Who buys the recycled material? This is a KEY question. Finding buyers, or \u201cmarkets,\u201d for the tons of recycled material is one of the biggest challenges that Athens and all waste service companies face. Of the 1200 to 1500 tons that arrive daily, 50 to 60 per cent is normally \u201cmarketable.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>The bales of cardboard, cans and plastic are a commodity, but the market can shift. Constant change is part of the challenge. For example, for decades China took a huge amount of America\u2019s cardboard. The ships that brought Chinese goods to the Port of Los Angeles would return with tons of American cardboard. But in 2018 China suddenly announced it would not take any more American cardboard. (Contamination was a big problem.)\u00a0 <\/span>That left America\u2019s recyclers having to scramble for new customers.<\/p>\n Fortunately, part of the problem has been eased with an increase in demand for cardboard for home delivery by retailers like Amazon. Glass and much plastic is recycled domestically. Athens says it was not hit too hard by China\u2019s new policy, since most of its cardboard was uncontaminated and still desirable. Athens\u2019 international customers include Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea, and Taiwan.<\/p>\n Aluminum and metal are very marketable. The challenge comes with plastic. Trying to find a market for plastics is tough because they contain so many different ingredients. Plastics are hard to break down and process into new products, so it\u2019s often cheaper and easier for companies to use new virgin plastic. It\u2019s hard to avoid plastic, but the people at Athens let us know they think we should all try!<\/p>\n Some of it. Athens says 50 to 60 percent of what they receive is recovered for reuse and a new life (less on rainy days when much comes in wet and unusable). Yes, some of what customers put into the recycling should have gone to landfills in the first place, and now it has to be hauled to one from the MRF.<\/p>\n Waste management is always evolving, it\u2019s not just market forces, it\u2019s also legislation. The next big step for Altadena residents will be organic waste recycling. This means that soon our food scraps can go into our green bin along with yard and landscaping debris. Watch for an announcement of this change!<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Athens wouldn\u2019t say what it costs to run one MRF for a year, but it seems likely that the materials mined from our waste cover only a fraction of that. Most of the money comes from Athens\u2019 250,000 customers, like me. In 2015 I paid $230 for a full year of service. In 2021 my bill will go up to $392. (I have no special discount.) Over those seven years my bill rose an average of $23 or 8% a year, which is well over the inflation rate.<\/p>\n The letter we get from Athens each year says the increases are due to \u201cchanges in the Consumer Price Index, fuel prices, and solid waste disposal fees\u2026 These rates were calculated in accordance with the terms of the franchise agreement and reviewed by the County of Los Angeles Depart of Public Works.\u201d Athens\u2019 contract is with the County of Los Angeles and covers service to more than fifty communities in various cities<\/p>\n As I said, I don\u2019t see these costs going down in the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/BlueBinGraphic2.jpg” title_text=”BlueBinGraphic2″ show_in_lightbox=”on” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” width=”63%” width_tablet=”” width_phone=”90%” width_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.1″ custom_padding=”||0px|||” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Separating our recycling is a complex process involving a series of chutes, conveyor belts, tunnels, detectors, bins, blowers and some very sophisticated technology \u2013 plus human beings.<\/p>\n When I saw the tremendous amount of work and energy required I realized how important it is to REDUCE the amount of packaging we consume in the first place. Avoid products in plastic containers like cherry tomatoes or grapes. Buy in bulk whenever possible. Get rid of your plastic food containers and use glass jars for storing your food.<\/p>\n In short, send as little as possible to the MRF in Sun Valley. What you do send, be sure it is recyclable. Please, no bowling balls.<\/p>\n A super useful website for all your recycling questions: canirecyclemy.com<\/i><\/p>\n To watch video of everything I\u2019ve described go to:<\/p>\nWhat happens to your stuff when it arrives at the MRF?<\/h3>\n
Separating Materials<\/h3>\n
Final step – Baling time<\/h3>\n
Off to Market<\/h3>\n
Doesn\u2019t recycling just end up in landfills?<\/h3>\n
Change is ahead<\/h3>\n
All this costs money<\/h3>\n
<\/h3>\n
The big lesson learned<\/h3>\n