Commingled Recycling: What It Is and How It Works

Did you know that out of the 400 million metric tons of global plastic waste generated yearly, only 9% of this is recycled? That’s terrifyingly low, especially with the level of menace plastic is causing to our planet and the number of times the “Recycling” song has been sounded in our ears.

But it’s not just plastic that has a low recycling rate. Other materials like metals, paper, cardboard, and glass have also registered a minute conversion, especially relative to the amount of waste we generate yearly from each of them.

So, what gives? Is the problem at the consumer’s end, or can we blame the recycling facilities for not recycling most of the waste they receive?

Well, from the different reports by recycling centers, most of the waste sent to them is actually recycled. That means if consumers can put in extra effort at their end,  it’s possible to have most of the recyclables actually recycled.

But here’s one of the reasons consumers choose not to recycle their waste — the need to have to sort all the waste into different bins. I mean, with our busy schedules, not everyone can afford the time to sort their waste into respective bins — and that’s where commingled recycling comes in.

But what exactly is it, how does it work, and what are some of its pros and cons that must be aware of? Well, these are just a few of the questions that we will be answering in this blog, so keep following closely.

What is Commingled Recycling?

Commingled recycling, also known as single-stream recycling, is a recycling arrangement whereby the consumer doesn’t need to separate the different recyclables, as is typically the case, but instead tosses them into the same recycling bin.

The word “commingle” simply means to “mix” or “blend.” Therefore, when we talk about commingled recycling, it basically means that you have all the stuff you want recycled, whether paper, plastic, metal, cardboard, or glass, mixed up in the same bin.

That’s different from the usual recycling, where consumers are expected to use different color-coded bins for their waste. With the commingled recycling practice, you don’t have to sort your papers into the blue bin, metals into yellow bins, and so on. Instead, all the waste that you want recycled shares the same bin, so you don’t have to remember what type of waste needs to go into what color of the bin.

This practice was developed in the United States in the 1990s to motivate more people to recycle the waste they generate. It has since been growing in popularity, thanks to the level of convenience it brings.

The more we recycle, the less waste we send to landfills. When we don’t have much waste going into landfills, we save our planet from pollution by different materials and create a more sustainable planet for us and future generations.

How Commingled Recycling Works?

After a consumer has placed their waste in one bin, it is collected by trucks and transported to a specialized facility called a Material Recovery Facility (MRF). There, the commingled waste is sorted to separate the different types of materials for individual processing.

You see, as much as the recyclable items are placed in the same bin and carried by the same track into the MRF, they can’t be recycled in their blended state.

The procedure used to recycle paper isn’t similar to the one required when recycling plastic, metal, or any other material. Each material has its unique properties and, therefore, needs a recycling process different from any other material.

Therefore, once the mixed items are collected and delivered at the recovery facility, they’re poured on the floor, and the sorting by hand begins. In most cases, the mixed items are poured on a conveyor belt, which is then run to allow the workers to remove non-recyclable materials.

Once the initial filtering is done, the waste is transferred onto a series of dark screens. There, the waste is sorted based on weight, with heavier materials like glass and metal falling onto the bottom screens, while the ones that are lighter, say paper and cardboard, remain at the top screen.

The lighter items, now at the top screen, are sorted into different categories for paper, cardboard, and newsprint. As for the heavy recyclables at the bottom screen, the sorting is done magnetically. A magnet is passed to pick up metal materials, leaving glass behind.

The workers are then expected to check to ensure no item is placed in the wrong category. Once everything is confirmed to be in place, the different materials are hauled into the respective recycling facility to be processed into new products.

Single-Stream vs Dual-Stream Recycling

Singles stream recycling is the other name for commingled recycling, which, as aforementioned, is a recycling practice that uses the same bin for all recyclable items. Dual-stream, on the other hand, requires two separate bins to distinguish recyclable items at the household level.

Essentially, single-stream recycling requires the residents to just put all their recyclable items into one bin without the need to sort them. That means residents have less work to do at their end, making the process of gathering all their recyclables more convenient.

Speaking of dual-stream, residents are expected to categorize their recyclable items into two at the household level. In one bin, glass, metal, and plastic are collected, while in the other, cardboard and paper are grouped together.

That means that, unlike the single-stream recycling practice, where everything is put together in the same bin, dual-stream recycling provides cleaner recyclable items, but that means more work for residents and, conversely, less sorting for recovery facility workers. 

Is Commingled Recycling Better for the Environment?

As the population grows, consumerism also increases, as more people will need more items for their needs. This demand drives an increase in production, increasing the amount of waste we generate.

The global annual waste generation stands at a whopping 2.12 billion metric tons and is destined for an increase unless action is taken. The problem with this increasing amount of waste generated is that it isn’t sustainable, often polluting the environment and overwhelming the landfills.

By incorporating commingled recycling, residents are more likely to recycle their waste, and thats because using the same bin brings unprecedented ease and convenience. As we recycle more, the amount of waste we send to landfills decreases, reducing the environmental impacts caused by landfills.

Plus, by using commingled recycling, we minimize the amount of products that need to be produced. That’s a crucial step towards achieving environmental sanity, as most of the products rely on energy for production and fossil fuels for transportation.

Let’s take the manufacture of glass, for instance. It takes 30% less energy to produce glass from crushed, used glass than from virgin materials.  Moreover, recycling aluminum requires less than 5% of the energy required to make a new aluminum product.

With all these savings in energy, it’s apparent that commingled recycling hugely helps protect the environment.

Pros and Cons of Commingled Recycling

Commingled recycling comes with a number of pros and cons that you should be aware of.

Let’s begin with the positive side.

The Pros:

Some of the advantages of commingled recycling include:

• Ease and Convenience: Residents don’t need to sort the waste into different recycling bins.
• Waste Diversion: Commingled recycling can significantly divert the waste going into landfills.
• More Participation: Since it’s easier and more convenient than traditional recycling, it’s more likely to attract more people.
• Cost-effective: Since it only uses large standard bins, commingled recycling allows for automation systems for waste collection, thus saving costs.
• Environmentally friendly: Commingled recycling allows for more efficient route planning, reducing pollution from fossil fuels.

The Cons:

Of course, commingled recycling also comes with a few downsides:

• Contamination: Since most residents use bins for all their waste, sometimes the non-recyclables, such as food waste and grease, or even shattered glass,  contaminate the whole batch.
• Higher sorting costs: The recyclables must pass through a material recovery facility before transportation to the recycling center, often introducing a new cost.

Conclusion

Commingled recycling is an easy and convenient way of recycling and is gaining popularity. The practice transfers the sorting work from the user’s end to the material recovery facility, so users have less work to do at their end.

The practice comes with numerous benefits and is a clever strategy to achieve a more sustainable planet. But, of course, intertwined with the numerous benefits are a few downsides, with a high risk of contamination being the major.

Nonetheless, the risk can easily be mitigated by training residents on what should go to the bin and what shouldn’t. With that in place, we can easily leverage the benefits of commingled recycling with less fear on the negative side.