Down to one bin
Recyclers face a common challenge: Customers don’t like to sort their recyclables. Finding a spot for at least two bins of paper, glass and plastic can be a hassle.
But now an Auburn company says you can throw it all in one bin, an approach it says will encourage both commercial and residential customers to recycle.FCR Recycling in Auburn, part of VT-based Casella Waste Services, is the first Bay State recycler to install single stream technology at its plant. This technology, popular for years on the West Coast, allows customers to use one bin for materials. And haulers who ferry recyclables to the plant can use compactor trucks, which means they can stay on the road longer and collect quicker.
"It makes the whole process more efficient," says Wayne M. LaMalva, a salesman for the company. But in the end it means customers who were reluctant to recycle are much more likely to jump on the bandwagon, he says.
Attracting customers is just one part of the equation, LaMalva says. Reducing trash removal costs for companies that deliver recyclables to the Hardscrabble Rd. facility is another major goal.
The switch to compactor trucks from dual stream trucks, which have separate bins for paper and plastics and glass, will ensure smoother running for the companies out on the road. "But when the material comes in dual stream it’s separated," LaMalva says. "The problem with dual stream collection is that the paper takes up a lot more space. Sometimes the paper side is filled up and there are not many bottles and cans. By putting everything together, it keeps the trucks on the route a lot longer. The trucks come back heavier. It’s efficient and efficiency means money."
Pratt Trucking in Webster, which recycles at FCR, has already saved nearly $100,000: Instead of buying a much-needed, new multi-compartment truck, the company can now use one of its compactor trucks to recycle.
It is the first New England single stream plant built by CP Manufacturing, based in National City, CA, says Jim McCann, the project manager. CP installed the original dual stream facility at the plant in1995 for then-owner BFI. The company has built and installed approximately 30 single stream facilities nationwide.
The system, which added additional conveyors and material-separating "screens," was built at the company headquarters and shipped to MA.
"They are the first in the state to offer single stream recycling and aside from a much smaller facility in VT, I don’t know of any New England state that does," says Greg Cooper, deputy director of consumer programs for the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.
The DEP has had its eyes on the technology for several years. When it was first introduced, some paper companies worried that the materials being sold to them from recyclers we’re contaminated with other recyclables such as crushed glass. But those complaints have died down.
"The amount of material collected from each household increases with single stream technology," Cooper says. "People are given much bigger containers and that makes it possible for residents and business to participate easier."
Kenneth J. St. Onge can be reached at kstonge@wbjournal.com
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