Recently, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Health Bureau Doherty, Cayman, president of the North American Metal Company held a press conference at City Hall, announced the expansion of plastic recycling waste plan, according to the new plan, shampoo bottles, food boxes, fish boxes and other hard plastic recycling program are included.
Mayor Bloomberg, at a news conference, said, “From today, any hard plastic is garbage.”
Bloomberg said that through this reform, there will be 50,000 tons of waste removed from landfills per year, these garbage area is enough to a football field size, it can save 85 Million USD processing fee per year.
Recycling plans announced, at the same time, the North American largest home recycling plant opened. The recycling plant is located in the Sunset Park waterfront in Brooklyn, operated by the Sims Municipal Recycling. The opening of the recycling plant will reduce transportation costs and bring greater savings.
New York City also want to simplify the plastic recycling system and encourage more New Yorkers to recycle all kinds of waste, in order to further implement low-carbon environment.
Sanitation Bureau deputy director in charge of recycling, Ghosn said, “Many people simply do not recycle classified, because plastic recycling is too complicated.”
Recycling and throw away, the overall cost-benefit analysis is less clear. Natural Resources Defense Council study in 2008 found that, taking into account the need for additional trucks, personnel, fuel and other costs, recovery costs is $ 17 per tonne, compared to large roadside garbage, but the gap is narrowing.
Ghosn said that more data is not released, but the reform will eventually expand recycling cost savings, because garbage collection vehicles back and forth almost full capacity utilization, recycling rather than lower the effective utilization of the garbage truck. But whether such savings will be offset by an inefficient use of non-recycled garbage truck, it is unclear.
Ghosn was asked this new policy is not including bowling, he said, “My advice is not recycled bowling. I think it could harm to recycling equipment.”