Dive Brief:
- Covanta is considering constructing a material recovery facility that could handle waste for the community in Indianapolis, IN. Indianapolis mayor Greg Ballard is on board with the project.
- Leaders in the recycling industry have cautioned the mayor to explore other options, believing that combining trash with recyclables will reduce the volume of materials with the potential to be recycled, as well as have a negative impact on the quality of recyclables.
- The $40-million plant would accept trash and recyclables at no expense to residents. It cannot handle glass. Covanta expects to increase Indianapolis’ recycling rate by five times the current amount, which is estimated at 13,000 tons per year.
Dive Insight:
A spokesperson for Covanta says that the new MRF could recover 80 to 90% of recyclables from the waste stream in the system that the recycling industry refers to as a "dirty" MRF. (Covanta calls it "advanced recycling.") Commodities industry members oppose the process because 90% isn't good enough to meet the standards of quality that are integral to their business:
“One of the most critical issues facing the 100% recycled paper industry is the availability of clean, economically viable fiber for domestic producers,” CEO of Pratt Industries Inc. Brian McPheely said in a letter to the city administration.
The recycling industry argues that residents can increase the recycling rate without an MRF. The Indiana Recycling Coalition is pushing to increase the recycling rate through curbside recycling collection instead. Currently, Republic Services provides curbside recycling to residents and could continue to do so. The coalition alleges that under the Covanta system, the recycling rate would reach 24% at best.
Covanta began a 10-year contract with the city of Indianapolis in 2008.
