The idea of single-stream recycling, where all recyclable
trash is placed into one receptacle, has been praised as a
consumer-friendly way to recycle. Largely due to its convenience,
places that use the single-stream method tend to have higher recycling
participation rates. However, a new study by the Container Recycling
Institute finds that it results in more contamination of
what’s collected, lower material quality and increased waste. The
report, “Understanding economic and environmental impacts of
single-stream, collection systems,” used data from industry
reports and interviews with recyclers. It can be found at www.container-recycling.org.
The main stream
