2. Why Recycle?
Recycling:
Saves resources
Saves energy
Prevents pollution
Aluminum recycling saves 95% of energy that would be
used if the aluminum was made from raw materials.
Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run
your television for three hours. Source: Keep America Beautiful
3. Recycling Facts
Recycling one ton of paper saves up to 17 trees,
7,000 gallons of water, and 3.3 cubic yards of landfill
space.
In 2013, Americans recycled and composted 87.2
million tons of materials. This prevented emissions
from being released, equivalent to removing 39 million
passenger vehicles from the road for a year. Source: EPA
11. What does China have to do with it?
• Operation Green Fence
• Banned imports of 24 kinds of solid waste
• Nearly half of Americas recycled bottles were sent to China
• No longer a market for plastics #3-7
14. Collection Schedule
RESIDENTIAL – 4 Units or less and SMALL BUSINESSES
East Bank- recyclables are collected on the first collection day.
West Bank - recyclables are collected on the second collection day.
Once per week unlimited collection of recyclables from regulation 18-gallon bins. All
materials must be in the bin. Households that generate more recyclables than what will fit
in one bin may obtain additional bins by calling 504-731-4614. Small Businesses are
limited to 2 bins.
15. Curbside Recycling and More
Call 1-877-747-4374 to request an additional
recycling bin in Jefferson Parish
Learn more about recycling from the Louisiana Recycling Coalition
www.louisianarecyclingcoalition.org
Find the New Orleans Recycling Guide, which shows where you can
recycle additional items including electronics, Styrofoam packing
peanuts and more
16. Alternatives to Curbside Recycling
Glass
• Target
Plastic Bags
• Target
• Wal-Mart
• Rouse’s
• Winn Dixie
Packaging (Styrofoam, packing peanuts, bubble wrap)
• Pack Rat Shipping (New Orleans)
• Pak Mail Center US493 (Gretna)
• Ship-N-Geaux (Thibodeaux)
• U-Drop Packing & Shipping (Houma)
• Post Net (Prairieville)
17. Drop Sites
WHAT?
• Household recyclables
• Appliances (white goods)
• Electronic waste
• Batteries
• Tires
• Motor oil
• Motor oil filters
• Gasoline
• Anti-freeze
• Cooking oil
• Mardi Gras beads & throws
WHO?
Recyclables Drop-off is available
to all residents of Jefferson Parish
free of charge.
18. Drop Sites
WHERE AND WHEN?
EAST BANK
400 David Dr., Metairie
(between Airline Drive and W. Metairie Ave.
Same location as the Trash Drop-Off Site)
WEST BANK
6440 Lapalco Blvd., Marrero
(near Ames, entrance on Betty Blvd.
Same location as the Trash Drop-Off Site)
Hours of Operation:
Tuesday – Sunday 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Daylight Savings: 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
19. More Things You Can Do
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
• Bring your own bag
• Bring your own cup/mug/water bottle
• Use both sides of a piece of paper
• Start a compost pile at home for yard and food scraps
• Use energy efficient light bulbs and appliances
• Turn off lights and electronics when not in use
Hello and thank you for joining me today. My name is Rachel Skowyra and I am the recycling coordinator at Waste Connections. Waste Connections is the garbage and recycling hauler for Jefferson Parish.
Our trucks pick up your curbside recycling and bring them to the MRF (materials recovery facility) in Metairie. The MRF is owned by Republic Services. The materials are sorted by machine. A big turbine with large slots spins all the materials. Plastic, metal, and other small pieces fall through the holes. Paper and cardboard are caught and separated. The other materials, which fall through the holes, drop onto a conveyor belt. The materials all pass under a large magnet that attracts the metal. The rest of the materials continue to a picker station. Several workers are lined up to pull the recyclable plastic from the line. The rest of the material lands in a dumpster. The dumpster, once full of trash, is transported to the landfill.
Paper, cardboard, and paperboard are recyclable. Wax board is not recyclable. Wax board is used mainly for cartons (orange juice, soy milk, etc.) This is not recyclable because the wax is unable to be separated from the paperboard.
All water and soda bottles are recyclable. Gatorade bottles are also recyclable. Milk jugs and MOST laundry detergent bottles are recyclable. Aluminum cans, tin cans, and all other metal is recyclable.
Paper towels, napkins, tissues, toilet paper, and paper cups are not recyclable. Some of these items are compostable. If you are interested in composting, please let me know, and I will be happy to put you in contact with somebody knowledgeable on that subject.
Styrofoam is not recyclable. Though it has a recycling triangle on it, it is not accepted in New Orleans. There are only a handful of facilities in the U.S. that recycle Styrofoam. It can, however, be reused. Some packing and shipping stores will take your Styrofoam, packing peanuts, and even those are bags. Visit www.epspackaging.org or ask me for more information.
Glass is not recyclable in this area because there is not a MRF that accepts it. Glass can break and contaminate other recyclable materials. It can also be very dangerous for the drivers and hoppers to handle.
China has acted as the “world’s recycler” for the past 20 years. When China exports products the America and other countries, those empty shipping containers are then filled with bales of recyclable materials, which China would use to produce new products. China imported 7.3 million tons of recyclable materials in 2016 alone. Due to the poor quality of many of these bales, and the fact that trash was from their own residents was beginning to build up, the Chinese government created “Operation Green Fence.” The regulations were actually drafted back in 2011 and some shipments had been rejected from that point until 2018. However, beginning January 1, 2018, the regulations started to be enforced more strictly. China now bans the import of 24 kinds of solid waste (including unsorted paper and the low-grade polyethylene terephthalate used in plastic bottles). The recycling market here in America has been greatly impacted by these regulations. Many processing facilities around the country now have parking lots full of baled recyclables with nowhere to go. The MRF in Metairie no longer processes plastics #3-7. We will pick them up from your household and bring them to the MRF, but once they go through the machines and the pickers, these materials inevitably end up in a dumpster and are shipped to the landfill. There is no value in these materials at this time. Waste Connections must continue to take these materials due to our contact with Jefferson Parish. Legal measures must be taken in order to amend the contract.
Mixed paper 31.63%
OCC 17.89%
Aluminum 4.89%
Other metal 1.48%
#1 - 13.28%
#2 - 5.05%
#3-7 - 4.34%
Glass 3.98%
Trash 17.47%
