From depackaging locations, to processing for animal food, fertilizer use, and compost amendments, as more material enters the recycled commodity stream more recycling options will develop, most often with the working ingenuity and leadership of recyclers like Key Disposal & Recycling.
By Ron Saldana
California’s organic recycling law, SB 1383, called for municipalities to achieve a 50 percent reduction in the level of statewide disposal of organics from 2014 levels by 2020, although many jurisdictions were given extensions. The next compliance mandate of 75 percent is set for 2025.
As California’s recycling laws continue to transfer waste from landfill waste streams into recycled commodities, new challenges are being met by state waste haulers/recyclers. Competing in this group are the smaller, family-based companies that continue to survive in a regulated competitive industry.
One of those small Southern California second generation family-based companies is Key Disposal & Recycling. Key services only commercial accounts, located in both Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Meeting state and municipal recycling mandates, goals, and objectives requires recyclers to develop customer recycling programs designed to meet and exceed current requirements to ensure future mandates will be met.
Designing Commercial Recycling Programs
Recycling is a continuing effort whereby the collector/hauler is always looking for the higher use and value. As the industry uses recyclables their value increases as new uses are developed, raw materials become more expensive, and new laws come into play, such as mandates for recycled material inclusion in manufactured goods, etc. Below are a few ways Key Disposal implemented to keep ahead of these changes:
• Customer Waste Audits—Key Disposal & Recycling examines the waste streams of each customer to identify materials not being recycled.
• Commodity Research and Identification—Focusing on SB1383 organics recycling, organic waste going into landfills under most circumstances can be turned into a recycled commodity. For example: palm tree fronds, numerous in Southern California, which were landfilled can now be ground for soil amendment and other ingredient uses.
• Enable Organic Waste Producers—Often separating recyclable materials out of the landfill waste stream requires additional labor on the customer’s part and additional specialized containers, both inside and outside the customers facility.
Key Disposal & Recycling designs specific customer recycling programs to separate materials at the source whenever possible, often requiring new containers. The objective is to not raise customer labor costs and customer charges. In many cases Key Disposal &
Recycling can save customer expenses with recycling rebates and reduced landfill charges.
• Finding Recyclables Best Use—As more landfill waste is moved into the commodity column, more options open for recycled materials. SB1383 dictates how some food waste must be recycled: “By 2025 not less than 20 percent of edible food that is disposed of will be required to be recycled for human consumption.”
Organic food waste is a good example of multiple ways to recycle a specific waste stream. Highest priority must be human consumption. Key Disposal & Recycling analyzes their options with this objective. Human recycled food often requires additional equipment for transport, such as refrigerated trucks, and partnerships with various food distributors and kitchens to ensure safety for the perishable commodity and needs distribution.
Taking the Lead
Currently, Key is expanding their fleet of CNG trucks, in part because of the requirements of California and the communities served, and because some recyclables are being collected in separate trucks, so loads are not mixed/contaminated and wet organics need to be in sealed containers/trucks.
This leads to the need for newer designed containers, also because of 1383. Key has purchased new containers/carts for inside collection, and containers for outside collection. Industry Cart/Container manufacturers continue to design and manufacture specialized containers on an ongoing basis.
Key Disposal & Recycling sends non-edible food waste to a variety of recycling options. From depackaging locations, to processing for animal food, fertilizer use, and compost amendments, as more material enters the recycled commodity stream more recycling options will develop, most often with the working ingenuity and leadership of recyclers like Key Disposal & Recycling. | WA
Ron Saldana is President of Pacific Rim Communications. He was the Executive Director, for the California Waste & Recycling Association for 25 years and is currently an industry consultant assisting smaller Southern California waste haulers/recyclers with state and municipal regulations/compliance requirements. For more information, visit https://keydisposalrecycling.com.