Back to basics is not so simple

Phrasing used by journalists and categorization systems used by statistics bureaus can place recyclers into the portion of the economy broadly called the basic materials sector. Viewed in isolation, a bin full of cardboard or a pile of steel clips from the same production line does appear quite basic.

It doesn’t take very much exposure to the recycling industry, however, before one learns that most recycling is not a simple matter of collecting a uniform stream of materials and sending it to a thoroughly welcoming consuming facility.

Recyclers, melt shop managers, paper mill operators and everyone else in the recycling chain can provide countless examples of how a few unwelcome materials in a shipped load can turn a smooth transaction into a contentious negotiation.

This ongoing source of wrenches in the works is unlikely to change anytime soon, which can be perceived as both bad news and good news by established recycling firms.

It is bad news for several reasons, most pertaining to profitability and some having to do with health and safety. In the latter category, the unwelcome presence of air bags that (amazingly) make it through auto shredding chambers and onto postshredder picking lines provides one example.

At the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) World Recycling Convention in late May and early June in Berlin, shredder operator George Adams Jr. of SA Recycling, headquartered in Anaheim, California, provided insight into the air bag situation and urged shredder operators to protect workers exposed to danger.

Entrenched in modern manufacturing, and thus the current recycling industry, is the creation of products with multiple materials, sometimes bonded in layers or sometimes blended as a composite. Tires always have been difficult to recycle because they are purposely made with a tightly bound blend of materials designed to hold together during their useful lives. Food packaging with laminated barriers can provide a similar challenge to recyclers of curbside materials.

“It doesn’t take long before one learns that most recycling is not a simple matter of collecting a uniform stream of materials and sending it to a thoroughly welcoming consuming facility.”

As of 2016, computer and telecom electronics remain as complicated as ever in terms of materials, but the use of fewer precious metals and the lower value of commodities overall is putting a genuine strain on the profitability of many recyclers in this sector.

The good news? Perhaps it’s a stretch, but industry veterans, such as the readers of this publication, have an advantage in terms of knowing how to address the problems inherent in the “nonbasic” materials stream. Entrepreneurs should by no means feel unwelcome in the industry, but they will face a steep learning curve as long as manufacturers continue to complicate things.