Analysis of Technology and Infrastructure of the Paper Recycling Industry in New York City

Executive Summary The objective of this study was to examine the technology and infrastructure of paper recycling in New York City and devise ways for increasing paper recovery. At present, " residential " wastepaper is collected as a separate stream by the Department of Sanitation of New York City (DSNY). In 2003, DSNY collected approximately 414,960 tons of paper, i.e. about 35 percent of the estimated paper discarded in the residential stream. The " commercial " paper generated by private businesses and collected by several private carters amounts to approximately 800,000 tons per year. The NYC commercial paper recycling rate is about 69 percent. The total amount of NYC paper wastes, both residential and commercial, is estimated at about 2,360,000 tons per year. Therefore, the overall paper recycling rate is 50.5 percent, slightly higher than the reported U.S. rate for paper recycling. Most technology used by paper recyclers is very simple, usually consisting of a tipping floor; an inclined conveyor; and a line of workers manually sorting waste paper by three or four grades. The higher-tech recyclers have more recent technology resulting in faster sorting. Visy Paper in Staten Island is the only true " recycler " of paper, turning recovered residential and commercial waste paper into finished paper products. Paper recycling has been occurring in New York City since the end of the 19 th Century. The deep roots of the industry have allowed it to reach impressive levels of capture of commercial wastepaper: Recycling rates in the three busiest boroughs, in terms of commercial activity (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens), are about 75 percent while Bronx and Staten Island attain commercial rates of 50 and 37 percent, respectively. 1 in the aftermath of the suspension of glass and plastics recycling by the City. However, the Department of Sanitation runs in all boroughs an extensive (and expensive) curbside collection program that is the largest such program in the United States. While the residential paper recycling rate of 35 percent is one half the commercial paper rate, the incentives and motivation are substantially different. Residential paper recycling rates would increase – and collection costs decrease – if the city were to implement a single stream collection system. 22 out of 59 sanitation districts currently use dual-bin trucks for recycling, with one side filling up before the other, thus resulting in the need to return at the Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) with less …