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Local recycling efforts fare better in tough market

Jordan Beck | Daily Press Delta Solid Waste Management Authority Manager Don Pyle holds a piece of plastic material brought to Delta Wide Recycling Tuesday which the recycling center cannot use. Pyle said steps are being taken to ensure the continued health of the authority’s recycling program.

ESCANABA — Recent worldwide developments related to recycling have negatively impacted recycling programs across the United States — including a program in Delta County. However, Delta Solid Waste Management Authority (DSWMA) Manager Don Pyle said steps are being taken to ensure the continued health of the authority’s recycling program.

In the past, China has bought a great deal of recyclables from the United States.

“For the last several years, China has been one of the largest consumers of … America’s recycled material,” Pyle said.

However, China made a change to its recycling policy at the beginning of 2018.

“Basically, China has cut off receiving recyclables from America,” Pyle said.

As many recycling programs are now sending the majority of their collected materials to American processors, these processors have found themselves with a glut of recyclables.

“There is an excessive amount available for domestic use,” Pyle said.

Delta Wide Recycling (the DSWMA’s recycling center) has not shipped recyclable materials to China in the past, Pyle said.

“That hasn’t directly impacted us,” he said.

From the start of January to the end of July in 2016, Delta Wide Recycling shipped a total of 50 loads of recyclables. For the same period in 2017, the center shipped 49 loads; in 2018, it shipped 50 loads during this period.

“We’re very consistent in what we’re doing,” Pyle said.

However, the situation with China has had an indirect effect on the center.

“It is impacting what we get paid, because the supply is larger than the demand,” Pyle said.

In 2016 — a down year for Delta Wide Recycling — the center was paid $113,189.25 for the recyclable materials it shipped from the start of January to the end of July. In 2017, it was paid $158,576.96 for the materials it shipped during this period. However, in 2018, the value of the recyclable materials it shipped from January to July fell to $94,326.46.

Pyle said Delta Wide Recycling has been able to keep operating due to a recycling millage approved by Delta County voters in August 2016.

“That’s why we’re able to continue to function,” he said. This millage increased taxes for Delta County residents by 0.3 mills (30 cents per $1,000 of taxable value) for 10 years to fund the DSWMA’s recycling, composting, and household hazardous waste disposal services.

Furthermore, Pyle said being able to offer a high-quality product is important for the center, as it means that processors will want to continue purchasing recycled materials from Delta Wide Recycling. Because of this, quality has been heavily emphasized at the center as of late.

“We need to be much more fussy about what goes into the product we bale and ship,” he said.

As part of this, Pyle said the center has been educating its workers about the importance of properly sorting recycled materials and removing contaminants.

“They are the last defense. We have to make sure the product we have is very high-quality,” he said of the center’s workers. He noted he believes employees have been working hard to accomplish these goals.

Pyle also noted homeowners should not send Delta Wide Recycling materials that it cannot recycle. If they are unsure whether or not an item can be recycled by the center, he encouraged them to either make sure it can be recycled locally or to throw it away.

“The mantra has been ‘if in doubt, throw it out,'” he said.

For information on recyclable materials accepted by Delta Wide Recycling, visit www.dswma.org or call 906-786-9056.

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