Many cities can’t afford to keep up their recycling programs since China’s national policy put a stop to importing plastic and paper products from the West. However, that policy hasn’t directly hurt Columbus’ recycling efforts. Any materials recycled in Columbus only travel about 250 miles to various sites, and some items don’t leave the state, said Steve Sargent, director of Cincinnati-headquartered Rumpke Recycling.
China changed its policy on recycling in 2017, moving to ban imported recycled material of mixed papers and plastics. Recycling companies in the U.S. watched and waited to see if the policy would be enforced, Sargent said. In January 2018, China enforced the ban. “A third of all the fiber we collected in the industry was exported,” Sargent said. “Over 75 percent of that amount went to China.”
But now the market for recycled goods is flooded, making it less profitable for cities to recycle. As a result, some aren’t. In Memphis, there are recycling receptacles that still collect items at the airport. But the paper, plastic and other goods go straight to the landfill. In Philadelphia, the city has resorted to burning much of its recycled material, according to national media reports. “Rumpke’s story is a little different,” Sargent said. “We’re very fortunate.”
Andrew Booker, programs manager for the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio, said the recycling industry is mostly known for the vast international supply chains made by such well-known companies as Republic and Waste Management. “When I think about it, 10 years ago (Rumpke) might have been at a disadvantage, but what has turned out to be the case is that they just had to develop their markets locally in this region,” he said. “It has really served them well.”
Only 2 percent of the materials Rumpke recycles is exported, Sargent said. That only applies to baled cardboard, which is shipped to Taiwan and South America. “We are really not dependent upon (foreign markets),” he said.
Sargent, who has been in the business more than 30 years, said it’s an “historic low the industry is dealing with.”