Dive Brief:

• Recycling in Mecklenburg County, NC jumped 20% after the solid waste department converted from dual-stream recycling to a single-stream sorting system designed and installed by CP Manufacturing.
• The facility now accepts plastics #1-7 — except for #6 Styrofoam — and empty aerosol bottles and orange juice aseptic containers. Previously, only plastics #1-2, metal, and aluminum were recycled.
• The switch has made truck routes more efficient. Before, plastic compartments would fill up faster than the paper compartments, therefore trucks would have to come off their routes half full. With single stream, that is no longer a problem.

Dive Insight:

Recently, Waste Management CEO David Steiner called recycling a "nationwide crisis," and there has since been a major push to improve recycling throughout the industry. In order to get consumers to participate in recycling, it must be as convenient as just using a trash can, which is why single-stream recycling seems to be so effective. 

Across the nation, single-stream recycling has had positive reports. A county in Minnesota reported increases similar to Mecklenburg County after switching to single-stream recycling. Additionally, a county in Florida boasted a 50% increase.

The switch is easier on residents who don't have to separate material, and on haulers, who don't have to interrupt their routes.