Canning
In New York City there is also a common practice of picking cans and bottles from curbside recyclables, street bins, and litter.
Known as canning, this activity is usually done by low-income people, who return the containers at retailers or redemption centers in exchange for a five-cent refund.
The Bottle Bill
The five-cent deposit redeemed by canners is paid for by consumers at the time of purchase, and they rarely redeem it themselves. This deposit is mandated by a state law known as the Bottle Bill, originally enacted in 1982.
Beverage distributors will take back the containers and reimburse retailers and redemption centers, plus a 3.5 cent handling fee. They will then sell the containers to recyclers.
The Bottle Bill
The five-cent deposit redeemed by canners is paid for by consumers at the time of purchase, and they rarely redeem it themselves. This deposit is mandated by a state law known as the Bottle Bill, originally enacted in 1982.
Beverage distributors will take back the containers and reimburse retailers and redemption centers, plus a 3.5 cent handling fee. They will then sell the containers to recyclers.
According to the New York State, in 2015 the Bottle Bill has helped recycle more than 300,000 tons of metal, glass, and plastic in the state, as well as reduce litter.*NYS DEC.
The debate over canning
The City has argued that canning is an illegal practice, and that canners are actually stealing City property and the revenues that would be made from recyclables. DSNY has also argued that canning makes it impossible for the City to quantify the amount of material being recycled.*NY Times interviews.
Canners and advocates respond by saying that they're actually helping increase recycling rates, independently of whether the City can keep track of it or not. They also argue that canning is one of the few, and sometimes the only, source of income for low-income and often undocumented persons. The debate over this issue is ongoing.
Canning or theft?
The City has argued that canning is an illegal practice, and that canners are actually stealing City property and the revenues that would be made from recyclables. DSNY has also argued that canning makes it impossible for the City to quantify the amount of material being recycled.*NY Times interviews.
Canners and advocates respond by saying that they're actually helping increase recycling rates, independently of whether the City can keep track of it or not. They also argue that canning is one of the few, and sometimes the only, source of income for low-income and often undocumented persons.
The debate over this issue is ongoing.
Recycling (half of the) paper in New York City*DSNY is not responsible for collecting from city parks or airports, which is why they're grayed out on the map.
About half of the paper collected by DSNY is recycled in the city, at the Pratt Paper Mill on Staten Island.*DSNY Recycling and Disposal Networks, 2016; NYSDEC Transfer Station Annual Reports. 2015.
The paper is taken there from Manhattan by barge, or from Staten Island and South Brooklyn by collection trucks.
(Click on the map to replay the animation)
Transferring the paper to barges
Paper collected in Manhattan arrives by truck at the marine transfer station at 59th Street on the Hudson River.
There, it is tipped into barges that will make the trip to the paper mill on Staten Island.
From waste to product
After being pulped, filtered, and dried, the post-consumer paper is turned into long sheets of paper, loaded on large spools such as this one.
Sorting the other recyclables*DSNY is not responsible for collecting from city parks or airports, which is why they're grayed out on the map.
The rest of the recyclables are sorted in the city, but sent elsewhere for recycling. Approximately 20% of the metal, glass, and plastic (MGP) collected by DSNY is taken by trucks to a sorting facility in Jersey City.*DSNY Recycling and Disposal Networks, 2016; NYSDEC Transfer Station Annual Reports. 2015.
The other 80% of MGP, along with the paper that is not recycled in Staten Island, is taken to a sorting facility in Brooklyn, either by truck or barge.
Both facilities are owned by a private company called Sims Metal Management.
(Click on the map to replay the animation)
Sorting the other recyclables*DSNY is not responsible for collecting from city parks or airports, which is why they're grayed out on the map.
The rest of the recyclables are sorted in the city, but sent elsewhere for recycling. Approximately 20% of the metal, glass, and plastic (MGP) collected by DSNY is taken by trucks to a sorting facility in Jersey City.*DSNY Recycling and Disposal Networks, 2016; NYSDEC Transfer Station Annual Reports. 2015.
The other 80% of MGP, along with the paper that is not recycled in Staten Island, is taken to a sorting facility in Brooklyn, either by truck or barge.
Both facilities are owned by a private company called Sims Metal Management.
(Click on the map to replay the animation)
SORTING
Arriving at the Sims Material Recovery Facility in Brooklyn
As DSNY trucks enter the Sims sorting facility, they are weighed on this truck scale. The data is sent automatically to the City and allows them to calculate the quantity of recyclables collected.
Entering the facility
About 40% of the material arrives at the facility by truck, with the rest arriving by barge.*NYSDEC Transfer Station Annual Reports. 2015. Barges arrive on the opposite side of where the trucks enter and have their contents unloaded inside the facility by cranes.
This facility will sort recyclables into several categories before shipping it to recyclers. Therefore, it is technically not a recycling plant but a sorting plant, and is usually referred to as a "materials recovery facility" (MRF).
Mechanized sorting
The recyclables go through a series of machines, each designed to recover a specific material. The better the material can be separated, the more value can be obtained when selling it to recyclers.
Metals are recovered with magnets and electrical currents; several mechanical processes separate glass, plastic film and paper. The remaining plastics go through optical sorters that separate them by chemical composition.
Selling the recyclables
The bales will be sold to national and international recyclers, and will be shipped to them by truck, rail, barge, or container ships, in the case of international recyclers.
The values of the bales are determined by market prices, and are related to a series of factors. An important factor is the price of raw or so-called "virgin" material, such as oil. Low prices for these materials usually mean that recyclables are valued less, since it will be relatively cheaper to make new materials.
Selling the recyclables
The bales will be sold to national and international recyclers, and will be shipped to them by truck, rail, barge, or container ships, in the case of international recyclers.
The values of the bales are determined by market prices, and are related to a series of factors. An important factor is the price of raw or so-called "virgin" material, such as oil. Low prices for these materials usually mean that recyclables are valued less, since it will be relatively cheaper to make new materials.
EXPORT
A long journey until recycling
Bales of recyclables will be then sent to actual recycling facilities in other cities, states, and countries.
While most of the metals and glass tends to be recycled domestically, much of the paper and plastics is sent on container ships to Asia for recycling.
(Click on the map to replay the animation)
But this is just a part of the story.
Due to its commitment to send zero waste to landfills by 2030, the City is seeking to maximize its recycling rate.
Today, residential and institutional recycled materials represent only about 4% of all waste generated in New York City, including commercial waste and demolition debris.*OneNYC, 2014.
See what other waste journeys New York City's waste can take |
Waste Journeys was created for Getting to Zero, the third installment of Open House New York’s Urban Systems Series. Getting to Zero is made possible by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Digital content and research by Bernardo Loureiro.
Most photography courtesy of Michael Anton/DSNY; some Sims Brooklyn photos by One More Folded Sunset; Yi-Ching; and Garrett Ziegler; canner photo by Sure We Can. Special thanks to Sam Silver/Sims for photos and data. Map data by OpenStreetMap contributors; NYC DCP; Natural Earth Data.
But this is just a part of the story.
Due to its commitment to send zero waste to landfills by 2030, the City is seeking to maximize its recycling rate.
Today, residential and institutional recycled materials represent only about 4% of all waste generated in New York City, including commercial waste and demolition debris.*OneNYC, 2014.
See what other waste journeys New York City's waste can take |
Waste Journeys was created for Getting to Zero, the third installment of Open House New York’s Urban Systems Series. Getting to Zero is made possible by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. Digital content and research by Bernardo Loureiro.
Most photography courtesy of Michael Anton/DSNY; some Sims Brooklyn photos by One More Folded Sunset; Yi-Ching; and Garrett Ziegler; canner photo by Sure We Can. Special thanks to Sam Silver/Sims for photos and data. Map data by OpenStreetMap contributors; NYC DCP; Natural Earth Data.