Hillsborough County Waste Management Department said it continually faces unique challenges while handling non-recyclable materials. They collects more than 58,000 tons of curbside recyclables every year, a number reflecting high recycling activity tarnished by widespread sorting mistakes.
The recycling composition study ran from February 17 through 21, evaluating what materials people are mistakenly placing in their recycling carts, such as uncovered dirty diapers, a frying pan, a bowling ball, and needles among tens of thousands of tons of recycling. Staff spent the week sorting the recycling material by hand daily to separate the items that can be recycled from the items that cannot.
The project is aimed at providing data to the Hillsborough County Solid Waste Management department to identify common residential recycling mistakes to better inform people on how to properly recycle, the department said.