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I went to NYCs recycling facility this week.
A thread.
The Sims facility is in Sunset Park right across from Red Hook over the water because recycling from Queens and The Bronx is delivered by barge
A thread.
The Sims facility is in Sunset Park right across from Red Hook over the water because recycling from Queens and The Bronx is delivered by barge
To get your most pressing questions out of the way: it didnt really smell.
It smelled like a vaguely sketchy corner on a day in late March.
What i saw was about 1/4 of the recycling delivered daily.
It smelled like a vaguely sketchy corner on a day in late March.
What i saw was about 1/4 of the recycling delivered daily.
From the perspective of the part of me that loves big machines: IT. WAS. AWESOME.
But from the part of me who understands the human impact on our planet it was slightly horrific.
Throughout our tour, to my surprise,
But from the part of me who understands the human impact on our planet it was slightly horrific.
Throughout our tour, to my surprise,
the Sims employee stressed that recycling was the last part of the three Rs.
Reduce and reuse she reminded us come first.
The facility is a MRF, or "materials recovery facility"
NYC has dual steam recycling: we separate paper - metal, glass & plastic go in the same blue bin
Reduce and reuse she reminded us come first.
The facility is a MRF, or "materials recovery facility"
NYC has dual steam recycling: we separate paper - metal, glass & plastic go in the same blue bin
What this facility does is separate and bale (think haybale only you know with plastics)
Hdpe plastic goes with hdpe plastic, PET with PET, aluminum from steel etc.
Once they're separated they sell those bales.
Hdpe plastic goes with hdpe plastic, PET with PET, aluminum from steel etc.
Once they're separated they sell those bales.
Different materials are worth different prices based on how easily they're recycled.
Aluminum is worth, relatively, a lot because it's easy to recycle but also because turning bauxite into a usable metal fucking sucks.
Aluminum is worth, relatively, a lot because it's easy to recycle but also because turning bauxite into a usable metal fucking sucks.
Most of this stuff is sold regionally - think northeastern US and eastern Canada for NYC stuff, because shipping it far makes it too expensive.
Colored glass on the east coast isn't worth much because regional bottlers don't really use it.
Colored glass on the east coast isn't worth much because regional bottlers don't really use it.
Plastic bags that you put your recycling in are fine - the facility understands the oddities of NYC recycling collection and slices then open at the start.
The plastic bags that you put *in the recycling* including, the sims person pointed out, the Amazon Prime envelopes are
The plastic bags that you put *in the recycling* including, the sims person pointed out, the Amazon Prime envelopes are
a scourge. They gum up the equipment and while I was there they had to stop the machinery to fish some out.
NYC only recycles rigid plastic.
I asked if Chinas ban on us recyclables was hurting them, they said only when it comes to paper. There's a terrible market for corrugated cardboard but for everything else nobody's really buying.
I asked if Chinas ban on us recyclables was hurting them, they said only when it comes to paper. There's a terrible market for corrugated cardboard but for everything else nobody's really buying.
In addition to selling this stuff the city pays them essentially a fee for taking our shit.
They're powered 15% by renewable energy iirc - a mix of solar and wind. And this photo of their wind turbine seems a fine way to end this thread
They're powered 15% by renewable energy iirc - a mix of solar and wind. And this photo of their wind turbine seems a fine way to end this thread
P.S. i cannot stress enough how much i fucking love visiting factories
P.P.S., IIRC they have something like 16 optical lasers to help them sort this stuff so if you've heard that recycling centers can't see black plastic that isn't true in NYC
P.P.P.S what was slightly horrific is just how much NYC throws out (yes recycling is still throwing stuff out).
I say this as i am tying up cardboard boxes for recycling
I say this as i am tying up cardboard boxes for recycling
