Waste-hauling costs are increasing and recycling policies are becoming stricter. Apartment operators are seeing the effects and are taking a variety of steps to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness. In Part 9 of this 13-part, in-depth report, we consider when recycling programs could become obsolete.

As the motto goes, ‘When In Doubt, Throw It Out’

Where allowable, some communities are skipping the recycling stage of waste management altogether.

Camden’s Rick Pippin says, “I visited one Arizona community and noticed that there were no recycle bins on the property. I asked why. The community manager told me that they didn’t want to deal with it. At first, we thought the residents would be upset, because preserving the environment is important to them, but it has not been an issue at all.”

Ian Mattingly says LumaCorp says, “One impact we have seen is a slow-down in the number of cities seeking to impose mandatory recycling on apartment owners. To be frank, we’re rather jaded about recycling, as we have been told most of the so-called recyclables end up in landfills anyway. One city staffer recently expressed to us that since more than half of their single-stream residential recycling load ended up in the landfill anyway due to China’s reduction in recycling, they were loath to add additional waste to their single stream.”

Michael Taylor, Director of Recycling Operations for Waste Management recently blogged about consumers’ good intentions, “[Many times], people are thinking they’re doing the right thing [when recycling. But too often they don’t follow the rules.] For them, our message is, when in doubt, throw it out.”

Back to the Trash Talking in-depth report or read the part 10 story: Waste Management's Challenge: Defined.