October 6, 2017
By Susan Mustapich
The mixed plastics in the bales at MCSW is made up of colored and clear plastic found in food containers and packaging, stamped with the numbers 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7.
Number 2 plastic, commonly used for milk and laundry detergent containers, is still sold for a profit. It is separated into natural and colored, which command different prices on the market.
At a Sept. 27 meeting, the MCSW board of directors gave the go ahead for disposal by incineration of the accumulated bales of mixed plastic. Interim Manager Beth Kwiatkowski said Sept. 28 she is researching options for trucking and disposal, while continuing to look for someone to recycle the material.
Kwiatkowksi, who is interim manager while Jim Guerra is on medical leave, said MCSW will have to pay for the materials to be removed from the transfer station, whether the bales are trucked out for disposal or for recycling, because buyers are no longer paying for mixed plastics. She is looking for the most cost-efficient choice. Trucking out recyclables, even when buyers are not paying, generally costs less than trucking out trash.
While prices for recyclables fluctuate, and are influenced by a global market, MCSW transfer station usually earns money for most of its recyclables. Natural (uncolored) number two plastic earns about $600 per ton, colored number two plastic earns $300 per ton, and cans, cardboard and paper continue to earn revenue, according to Kwiatkowski....
