The recycling process is more complex than just tossing recyclable materials into a curbside bin to be collected. In the past, consumers had to separate their recyclables by type which was a timely process and one many individuals did not want to do.
Now, with single-stream recycling and the support of it by local municipalities and industry leaders, the amount of waste recycled continues to grow. At Solomon Container Service, we aim to support a cleaner Pennsylvania as a division of Municipal Recovery Inc., a single-stream recycling facility. But what is single-stream recycling and how does it fit into Pennsylvania standards?
Pennsylvania Recycling Laws
In 1988, Pennsylvania lawmakers enacted statewide recycling with the Municipal Waste Planning Recycling and Waste Reduction Act (Act 101) that requires larger municipalities to recycle.
This has proven beneficial to the state. As reported in 2016, Pennsylvania recycled more than 7.84 million tons of waste materials which cut more than 10.21 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions from the air.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has extensive resources on recycling statutes and regulations for commercial recycling.
Though this is great for communities, industry leaders and commercial properties also need to do their part.
The Single-Stream Process
While there are numerous recycling options, for commercial, institutional, and industrial organizations, as well as restaurants, the single-stream recycling process is time-efficient and effective for business owners. You simply place all waste materials that qualify for the process such as paper, cardboard, metal, glass, plastics numbered 1 to 7, and rigid plastics like flower pots and buckets into the container. From there, the process is as follows:
- Materials are collected.
- Once they arrive at the facility, they are unloaded and placed on a conveyor.
- The non-recyclable items are manually removed.
- The material moves to a triple-deck screen for sorting.
- Items are sorted and moved to levels based on weight.
- Glass containers are broken for the safety of workers.
- Steel is removed via a powerful magnet.
- Workers will separate cardboard, newsprint and office paper, to be baled and shipped to recycling companies for processing.
Since the process requires both human and machine input, there are extra layers of quality control in place.
Single-Stream Recycling with Solomon Container Service
As the region’s only full-service recycling and waste hauler to sort and process single-stream recyclables, Solomon Container Service is dedicated to you, the consumer as well as our local community. We offer the most efficient single-stream recycling service, with a throughput capacity of 20 ton per hour of single-stream recyclables. To put this in perspective, the average larger materials recovery facility produces 245 tons per day of throughput which is approximately 27 tons per hour–not too bad in comparison to our Northeastern Pennsylvania facility!
You need the experience and dedication of our full-service waste disposal services. Not only do we offer single-stream recycling, but also, waste removal, compactor installation and services, and confidential shredding.
Our locally owned and operated family business has more than 50 years of experience in the waste disposal and recycling industry. Contact us today to experience the professionalism of Solomon Container Service in Wilkes-Barre.
All solid waste is disposed of at PA DEP approved sanitary disposal sites.