Thrown Away

JUST THE FACTS. When the state of Georgia failed to meet its 1996 25-percent waste reduction goal by the deadline, officials wanted to know why. In spite of increased recycling efforts throughout the ‘90s, the state saw its waste reduction goals slipping further and further away, according to Randy Hartmann, office director of the environmental management office of the DCA. "Our per capita disposal rate has been moving steadily away from that ever since the goal was enacted," he says. "We wanted to delve into that and find out why we weren’t meeting our goals."

What the study found was millions of tons of commodities that could be reused by Georgia industries were winding up in landfills. For example, the study found that approximately 1.9 million tons of paper products that wound up in the state’s landfills in 2004 could have been recycled and used by companies operating in Georgia. In fact, nine of the state’s 15 paper mills rely exclusively on recycled material, which makes the market for recovered fiber particularly strong.

That Georgians were throwing away valuable recyclables was really no surprise in itself, but the staggering amount shocked a fair number of people in the private and public sectors.

"As a state, we thought we were throwing away a lot of these materials, but we had no idea of the magnitude until we did this study," says Hartmann.

"We were shocked at the amount of ONP [old newspapers] going into Georgia landfills," says Lisa White of SP Newsprint Co., an Atlanta-based newsprint producer that uses more than 800,000 tons of ONP per year at its Dublin, Ga., mill. "We thought we were recovering a higher number—it was glaring for us."

The actual tonnage figures also surprised Gloria Hardegree, director of the Georgia Recycling Coalition, especially when the market value of those commodities was considered. "That’s $250 million worth of materials going into landfills," she says.

Based on 2004 data, the study revealed that old corrugated containers (OCC) made up the largest portion of recyclable materials in the state’s landfills at approximately 733,900 tons, or 11 percent. Plastic film came in third place, accounting for about 7.4 percent of the total tons of MSW, followed by ONP at about 4.8 percent. Miscellaneous rigid plastics made up approximately 4.4 percent, and textiles made up 4 percent.

Armed with this data, the DCA and affiliated organizations like the Georgia Recycling Coalition and the regional Southeast Recycling Development Council (SERDC) are poised to bring the economic issue to the forefront of municipal recycling.

WAKE-UP CALL. The study has provided a foundation for raising awareness of the amount of material available in Georgia and the in-state markets that can consume it, says Hartmann. Prior to the study, "that awareness was just not out there," he says. "The strength of our Georgia [recycled commodity] markets was actually one of the worst secrets we could have kept in the state."

The study highlights two important aspects of a successful recycling equation—first, that there are plenty of commodities out there that private businesses can obtain within the state instead of having to look elsewhere and pay to bring the material in from other states. With high fuel costs a fixture in today’s marketplace, such savings on transportation costs could have a big impact on the bottom lines of Georgia’s businesses, says SP Newsprint’s White. "Every ton we can get out of Georgia is better for us," she says. "That’s a ton we don’t have to get from somewhere else."

For the municipal programs themselves, the study shows that there are viable markets within the state and that taking advantage of those markets can help fund programs. "Our paper industry can use every pound of this material," says Hartmann.

Part of the educational campaign that has been launched in the state has been a series of tours of Georgia paper mills. Three tours have been conducted so far, and attendance has tripled from about 30 people at the first tour of SP Recycling’s Dublin, Ga., mill to more than 100 attending the latest tour of Pratt Industries’ facility in Conyers, Ga., in mid-June.

The tours provide an educational opportunity as well as chance for attendees, who typically include state and local officials, legislators, recycling program managers and solid waste directors, to see the workings of a paper mill firsthand. "These events help make everyone aware that all of these commodities can be recycled in the state of Georgia," says Jerry Hawk, chair of the 10-state SERDC.

Bringing government and municipal officials to the plants has been instrumental in raising awareness of the connection between commodity markets and municipal collection programs, according to Hartmann. "Now we can go to the communities and say that we know people who need these materials," he says.

Hardegree says the response from government officials has been positive. "It has gotten their attention," she says. "We tend to react when it comes to economics. Elected officials know that’s jobs and revenue going into a landfill."

Educating the public sector about the opportunities in the secondary commodities markets could be the first step in encouraging partnerships between municipalities and private businesses with the goal of higher collection, says Hartmann.

TAKING ACTION. The study’s findings have spurred action on a number of fronts, both public and private, says Hartmann. One of the biggest consequences of the study is a statewide push toward single-stream recycling, he says.