New Recycle Guidelines

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.

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 the new recycle guidelines.

If it is not shown below, do not place it in your recycle bin. 

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, but we still need to try.

Please work with us to try and reach the 0.5% contamination level!