As summer comes to an end, Penn Waste would like to remind everyone that pool chemicals should not be disposed of in your trash or recycling.
Chemicals such as chlorine, muriatic acid, and sulfuric acid are used to balance and disinfect pools, while other chemicals are used to “shock” the pool. These chemicals are extremely combustible and can cause fires in the back of our trucks, putting our employees’ safety at risk.
Here are a couple suggestions on how to properly dispose of pool chemicals:
Check with the store you bought your pool chemicals to see if they have any suggestions
Donate extra pool chemicals to local pools around the area
Check with your local Solid Waste Authority to see if they accept pool chemicals
“I would like to make it clear that what has been written about Penn Waste trying to renegotiate existing municipal contracts is completely false. Penn Waste has not approached any existing municipal customers about renegotiating their contracts and we do not have plans of doing so.
The statement regarding our municipal contracts made by our spokeswoman back in May was an idea that had been floated when the initial recycling markets collapsed. While that idea had been proposed, it never went into effect.
Penn Waste did impose a sustainability fee on our commercial customers in June in response to the recycling markets collapsing, the on-going skilled labor crisis, rising insurance costs, and rising steel prices. Our customers were notified in advance and given the opportunity to contact us with any concerns.
It is not common practice for Penn Waste to respond to every rumor that is published in the media but this one is completely false.
Penn Waste would appreciate the professional courtesy of a reporter reaching out to verify if something is accurate prior to their printing it the next time a news story references our company.”
Effective July 1, 2018, Penn Waste is implementing new recycle guidelines. The new recycle guidelines are a result of the current recycling crisis created by China. Back in the fall, the largest buyer of recyclable material in the world, China, set unachievable contamination limits on the recyclable material they receive resulting in the recycling markets crashing. Previously, bales were allowed to have around 5% contamination in them which equates to 92lbs of contamination in a 1,850lb paper bale . At the beginning of 2018, China imposed a 0.5% contamination limit on imported recyclables from any country which equates to only 9lbs of contamination in a 1,850lb bale of paper. This is an impossible level of contamination for recycling companies to achieve.
Subsequently, Penn Waste has taken a “Back to Basics” approach in an attempt to try and meet the new contamination limits. Please see below for our new recycle guidelines.
If it is not listed below, do not place it in your recycle bin.
Wednesday, July 4, 2018: Due to the 4th of July Holiday, all residential Penn Waste collections will be delayed one (1) day. Wednesday customers will be collected on Thursday. Thursday customers will be collected on Friday and so on for the remainder of the week through Saturday.
To stay up to date on recycling tips and collection updates, consider following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
If you have not already done so, consider signing up for our E-News Updates to receive recycling suggestions and collection updates directly to your e-mail inbox.
Penn Waste wishes all of our customers a safe and happy holiday!
(Harrisburg) — The cost of recycling will likely go up for many midstate communities over the next few years.
A change of standards in China is causing recycling processors in the U.S. to recalculate.
China is the largest importer of U.S. recyclables. At the beginning of this year, the country enacted a ban on some materials and strictly limited the contamination allowed in shipments of others, from five percent to half a percent.
That’s driving up costs for processors like Penn Waste, which collects recycling from 70 municipalities in the region.
Marketing director Amanda Davidson said 35 percent of the material they collect as recycling is garbage that then needs to be disposed of.
A big problem is “hopeful recycling,” which means people will put things in recycling bins they want to be recyclable but should really be thrown out.
“So diapers, car parts, hoses, electrical cords, medical waste, clothing, mattresses. We’ve gotten deer carcasses. Deer season is a horrible time of year at our recycle center,” Davidson said as she gave examples.
She said now there’s added pressure to get these sometimes-hazardous items out of the waste stream.
Penn Waste has been investing in labor and equipment to reduce contamination.
The company is now charging a sustainability fee for commercial and private subscription customers.
Davidson said they are approaching municipalities now to see if they can renegotiate waste contracts to add a sustainability fee.
“Even if we don’t get a small increase now, everyone’s going to see a large increase later to make up for the impact that the recycling crisis is having,” she said.
The company plans to release new guidelines next month that should make it easier for customers to understand what’s recyclable and what’s not.
