What Happens to Rejected Recycle Materials?

Rejected recycled materials are usually disposed like normal trash.

According to the Waste and Resources Action Programme, communities reject 1 to 15 percent of materials sent for recycling. Rejected materials are often worse than regular trash because they waste time and money for transportation.

Waste

When a recycling plant refuses to take a load of waste, it usually re-enters the municipal waste--often incinerated because of contamination rather than going into a landfill.

Contract Stipulations

What happens to rejected recycled materials can change depending on the stipulations in the contract between a recycling center and its buyers.

Outcome

Recycling centers often operate on a thin profit margin. Too many rejected recycling loads could put a recycling center out of business due to high transportation costs.

Reasons

Materials in a recycle bin are rejected if the workers sorting through them see a certain percentage of dirty or non-recyclable material. This percentage varies depending on the recycling center.

Prevention/Solution

People should make an effort to wash out any materials they put in a recycle bin. Never try to recycle hazardous waste such as paints and pesticides. Some recycling plants will reject an entire load if they see a dangerous material such as broken glass.

References

• All Business: Recycling United: Focus on Quality Will Cut Costs
• Swale Borough Council: What Will Happen to the Recyclables and Residual Waste?
• Kentucky Recycling and Marketing Assistance: The Regional Recycling Market

Resources

• Eco Cycle: The Recycle Bin's Dirty Dozen