Cardboard only

Following a change in the county's waste management contract, Kootenai County Solid Waste Department will no longer process co-mingled recyclables in rural areas.

Laureen Chaffin, principal planner for the county's Solid Waste Department, updated the county commissioners on their newest contract with Bluebird Recycling. When it comes to co-mingled products — paper, cardboard, and aluminum — Chaffin said once the materials are combined, they lose monetary value and require higher labor.

"Co-mingled material has a higher contamination rate, and there is additional processing needed to separate out the materials," Chaffin said. "It is convenient for the homeowner but not for a recycling center."

In 2019, Chaffin said, the county collected 290 tons of co-mingled materials from rural site containers, costing the county $39,900 — or $117.50 per ton. On the other hand, purely cardboard bins collected 122 tons for $5,795 — $47.50 per ton.

In the new contract, the co-mingled processing costs increased to $124.44 per ton but dropped cardboard to only $30. Based on the price change, the department determined it was best to eliminate co-mingled recycling in rural areas.

"When we looked at the mixture of the co-mingled bins, 42% were cardboard," Chaffin said. "So it is a reduction in the amount of service we are providing to our constituents. However, it is the smartest choice given the finances, the trucking, and the amount of people we have to have on the road to manage this."

This isn't a new concern, as the cost of processing co-mingled recyclables has increased substantially, Chaffin said in recent years. Since China adopted the National Sword Policy in 2018, many American cities have been unable to secure favorable customers to buy municipal recycling. China, the largest and most reliable consumer of United States recyclables, cut ties with waste management departments nationally after tightening its regulations on accepting polluted plastics and limited imported materials into the country.

"Unfortunately, people have the concept that recycling is free," Chaffin said. "It is not and has an increased cost for transportation, sorting, and processing. If we can change the trend of co-mingling materials and go back to source separation, then we believe the programs are sustainable."

This week, the Spokane City Council voted to cut its recycling collection by 50%, picking up bins every other week. It was an effort to reduce the cost of running the service, which barely broke even.

In Kooenai County, customers will be able to recycle only grooved cardboard at rural locations. They can still bring other materials to the two transfer stations on Prairie Avenue and Ramsey Road. The rural sites affected will be in Athol, Chilco Road in Rathdrum, Mica Flats, Sun Up Bay, Worley, Blue Creek Road, Carlin Bay in Harrison, East Point in Harrison, Harrison Junction in St. Maries, and Wolf Lodge Road.

Chaffin said the Solid Waste Department doesn't foresee returning co-mingled bins to the rural collection sites. Both transfer stations will recycle cleaned and sorted aluminum cans, corrugated cardboard, mixed paper, #1 and #2 plastic beverage containers, newspaper, steel/tin cans, and textiles.

"Kootenai County will continue to do our part in providing opportunities to recycle," reads a press release by John Phillips, the Solid Waste Department director. "We ask that the public do their part in only recycling the products that are allowed. Together as a team, we can overcome the market challenges and produce goods that are genuinely being recycled."