RecyclingMonster - The stay-at-home orders and business closures to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic have prompted a big spike in curbside trash, leaving a major hauler to threaten to raise rates. At the same time, bottlers can’t get enough recycled glass for their operations.
In Philadelphia, residential trash has jumped by nearly one-quarter during March and April, compared with the same period last year. That meant the city had to collect 22,000 tons of extra trash in that period, with more undoubtedly to come.
“With more residents generating trash at home, and residents having more time to spring clean or work on in-home projects, we anticipated our tonnage would increase,” said Keisha McCarty-Skelton, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Streets Department.
Scott McGrath, the city’s environmental services director, said the department budget should be able to handle the extra load.
Philadelphia municipal workers pick up trash in city-owned trucks, then haul it to transfer sites. There it is disposed of by Waste Management, one of the nation’s largest hauling and recycling firms. The waste is taken to landfills or incinerated at a waste-to-energy facility.
McGrath said that the work crews are flexible, and that the trucks have enough capacity, to avoid a lot of extra runs. He said crews get shifted every day from areas with lighter-than-usual curbside loads to handle bigger loads.
The city has a long-term contract with Waste Management and pays about $65 a ton for disposal. But McGrath said it’s too soon to tell how increased tonnage now will affect the budget in coming months.
“Earlier this year, we were probably about the same or below prior years," McGrath said. “We might end up on the high side this year, but it’s not going to be a huge number.”
But Waste Management, which has contracts throughout the Philadelphia region, including South Jersey, says it’s feeling the strain of higher disposal costs. Some of its customers pay a flat fee no matter how much trash
Courtesy : www.inquirer.com