Whatcom County waste hauler says it won’t accept these ‘problematic’ containers for recycling
Plastic takeout food containers are no longer being accepted for recycling and must be thrown out, Whatcom County’s waste hauler said in a social media post last week.
Such containers include the hinged clamshell style and are frequently used for takeout food and leftovers at restaurants. They often have the triangular arrow symbol that indicates that the product is recyclable.
But “changing recycling market conditions” mean that Sanitary Service Co. is unable to find a recycler to take them, SSC said in a social media post.
“All plastic to-go containers, including clamshell (hinged) containers, are no longer accepted for recycling. These items should be disposed of in your trash,” SSC said.
SSC General Manager Ted Carlson told The Herald in an email that “take-out containers, primarily plastic clamshells, are problematic” for several reasons, according to recycling processors in Western Washington:
- Such containers are made of different kinds of plastic, sometimes in one container.
- Processors are only allowed a certain percentage of that kind of plastic and they already exceed the limit.
- Clamshell containers often end up flat on the processing line, where machinery mistakes them for paper.
Further complicating matters is that black plastic simply isn’t recyclable, according to Recycle Smart, an online newsletter funded by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
“The optical sorters at recycling facilities can’t “see” black plastic containers on the black conveyor belts. Even if it’s sorted properly, black plastic is tricky because it cannot be dyed other colors when making new products, limiting its recycling potential,” Recycle Smart said.
In any case, stores and restaurants in Bellingham shouldn’t be using such clamshell containers because they don’t comply with the city’s 2022 law that bans single-use plastic containers, Public Works Department spokeswoman Stefanie Cilinceon told The Herald.
“Plastic clamshells were already not compliant with Bellingham’s single-use plastics ordinance, so this doesn’t change anything under the ordinance,” Cilinceon said in an email.
Sean O’Neill, the city’s sanitation and solid waste manager, told the City Council that Bellingham businesses are nearing 50% compliance with the measure, which took effect less than 18 months ago.
