Recycling: What Happens to All That Paper, Glass and Plastic?

Transfer station manager Gary Koch reached into a Town of Stanford recycling dumpster, snagging an empty food container with an 8-foot rake. “We have to monitor what folks toss into the dumpster, to make sure it can be recycled,” he said. “These plastic clamshells aren’t accepted any longer.” After expertly retrieving the item, Koch tossed it into the general garbage bound for Poughkeepsie, where it will be burned at the Dutchess County Resource Recovery Facility.

“It was hard to get people to recycle 20 years ago, because it took more time to do,” Koch said. “They had to separate glass by color — green, clear or brown. Now that bottles are commingled, it’s much easier and faster, but we still help with any mistakes.”

Americans generate 4.5 pounds of trash per person every day — that’s over 42 million tons a year. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 75% of that garbage consists of recyclable items like steel cans, glass bottles, plastic containers and cardboard. But according to the U.S. Department of Energy, only 5 to 6% of all plastics and 68% of paper products actually get recycled both nationally and in New York state. In Dutchess County, the rest is usually trucked as trash to the Poughkeepsie incinerator. (The nearest landfill is 240 miles away in Chemung or Ontario counties.)

Milan Transfer Station manager John Van Buskirk said one of the reasons recyclables are scrapped is that consumers don’t rinse out plastic and glass containers. “If they’re dirty, we have to pick them out of the dumpster,” he said. “Many people don’t fully understand how to recycle properly.”

Residents without curbside pickup service bring recycling to their local transfer station, and throw it into either the dumpster for plastic, glass and metal or the one for paper and cardboard. Koch and Van Buskirk make sure each dumpster is filled to capacity with the allowed recyclables, which takes three to four weeks. “Welsh [Sanitation Service] charges the town for these dumpsters, so we fill them up as much as possible,” Van Buskirk said. Then Welsh or Royal Carting (licensed by Dutchess County) haul the containers to the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency (UCRRA), in Kingston, for processing.

Angelina Brandt, UCRRA’s director of sustainability, explained what happens next: “After we receive the recyclables, we sort them into groups by using a combination of workforce and specialized machinery to separate recyclable objects into various categories […] like corrugated cardboard, glass, ferrous [iron-containing] or nonferrous metal, and mixed number 3 to 7 tubs and lids.” 

Once sorted, recyclables are baled into large cubes and temporarily stockpiled onsite, then marketed in bulk to recycling vendors or brokers who bid on them. Brandt told the Herald that what can be recycled varies from community to community, based on the local “end-buyer market” (how many bales can be sold) and the sorting capability of the municipal recovery facility. As a result, there are no universal recycling rules in New York state. “Always follow the recycling guidelines provided by your service provider, or contact your local recycling coordinator to learn more,” she said.

According to Brandt, consumer confusion over the recycling code on plastics (numbers 1 to 6 inside the “chasing arrows” symbol) has led to poor recycling practices. The number refers to the type of plastic polymer the product is made from; it doesn’t indicate how recyclable the item is. Brandt said these codes are widely unregulated in the packaging manufacturing industry. “Many recycling educators across the state — like Recycle Right New York — are trying to simplify the guidelines by encouraging the consumer to focus on the shape of the container, rather than the number,” she said. “Plastic objects shaped like a bottle, jug, jar or tub are probably very recyclable.”

Welsh and Royal Carting also provide curbside single stream recycling: Paper, glass, metal and plastic are commingled into one container, making it easier for the consumer. The recycling is transported to a private facility for processing and sale, such as Republic Services in Beacon (formerly reCommunity). But contamination makes at least one-third of single stream recycling unusable. Paper pierced with glass shards and plastic and aluminum crushed together cannot be processed and are sent for incineration.

Brandt said UCRRA accepts only dual stream recycling: the consumer separates mixed paper items from glass, metal and plastic before collection and processing. Many experts favor this recycling method. It’s more work for the consumer, but pre-sorting generally means less processing at the recovery facility, reduced contamination, purer materials — and better market prices.

The lack of recycling guidelines led to the creation of the Recycle Right NY campaign in 2018 to educate residents on what is recyclable. Its NYS Recyclopedia is an easy-to-use search tool with reduction, reuse and recycling instructions. Brandt said that statewide organizations like the Center for Sustainable Materials Management (part of SUNY College of Environmental Forestry) and New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling are helping communities expand their waste sustainability programs. “UCRRA is working […] to promote food scrap composting to municipalities and schools, and we’re looking into new initiatives like mattress recycling,” she said.

There are no federal recycling laws and legislation varies from state to state. In New York it is mandatory, punishable by fines for noncompliance. In December, 2023, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation released its comprehensive waste management plan, proposing policies to ensure “reusing and […] recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible,” — and a goal of achieving a recycling rate of 85% by 2050.

Koch and Van Buskirk are working locally to improve recycling practices among consumers. “They’re trying to fix things at the wrong end,” Koch said. “Start at the beginning by avoiding things like cling wrap and get less takeout, or go to places that serve food in cardboard,” he said, “Better yet, bring your own containers.”

Van Buskirk added, “People still need more education about what is garbage and what is recyclable,” he said. “The Town of Milan is trying to do that.”

Dutchess County residents without a commercial hauler: To recycle, check rates, regulations and times of operation by visiting Town of Stanford Transfer Station and Town of Milan Transfer Station websites. Ancram, Ancramdale and Gallatin residents, visit Columbia County Solid Waste website for information about the Gallatin Convenience Station.