Keller - Roanoke - Northeast Fort Worth | May 2023

After being processed, materials are sold to other companies to be made into new products.

REMANUFACTURING

Materials that are incorrectly recycled can contaminate other materials or damage equipment. Follow these three rules when throwing items away.

The recycled cardboard is either made into another box or thinner paper products. The mold is heated up until the plastic is soft enough to be formed into the shape of a bottle or another product.

Bottles are shredded into akes before being melted down and formed into resin pellets.

Using high heat and pressure, the resin pellets are melted down and injected into molds.

KNOW WHAT TO THROW. Paper, cardboard, metal and glass* are able to be recycled. EMPTY, CLEAN AND DRY. Rinse out bottles with liquids so other recyclable materials are not cross-contaminated. Avoid recycling pizza boxes with sauce, cheese or grease. KEEP IT LOOSE. Plastic bags can get caught in machinery, and cause delays or damage equipment. Bundles of materials can’t be sorted at the facility and go to the landll.

Moisture is added so the pieces break into a pulp before being ltered.

More water is added, and the pulp is rolled out in big sheets to dry.

SOURCES: REPUBLIC SERVICES, PEPSICO RECYCLINGCOMMUNITY IMPACT

cling basics. Republic and Community Waste Disposal both oer mobile apps where customers can access their account to pay bills, schedule pickups, view ser- vice schedules and report a missed pickup among other things. Fort Worth has a mobile app as well—Fort Worth Gar- bage and Recycling—where residents can view their gar- bage and recycling schedule, and receive collection noti- cations from the city. Future of recycling According to Reynolds, the 2023 Keller community survey provided positive feedback on garbage and recycling services as a whole. City ocials last surveyed residents specically about garbage and recycling ser- vices in November 2019. Of the 1,133 residents sur- veyed—which represented 3% of the city’s estimated 45,000 residents—79% responded “always” to the question, “How often do you partic- ipate in weekly recycling

collection?” Another 10% responded with “often.” The survey also asked res- idents about which aspects of their service they insist be included in the next garbage and recycling contract. Of the 1,096 respondents, 76% responded with weekly recy- cling collection. While ocials in cities, such as Keller, Roanoke and Fort Worth have no plans to cancel recycling programs anytime soon, service pro- viders, such as Community Waste Disposal, are see- ing signicant challenges, such as labor costs and availability. Jason Roemer, Commu- nity Waste Disposal vice president, said the company is seeing the same challenges other providers are facing nationwide. But while other companies are switching to automated trash collection that use trucks equipped with lifting devices, Com- munity Waste Disposal still uses manual collection that depends upon human labor as it provides cities and

residents with exibility. “We’ve seen a diminish- ing pool of laborers that are willing to get out in the heat, out in the elements and do this job,” Roemer said. “The cost is continuing to rise at an accelerated pace to get and attract and keep these helpers.” Roemer also said the indus- try is encountering issues with space. Reducing the amount of materials placed in land- lls is important as Roemer said landlls do not have an innite life. When residents don’t know what to recycle, more material is put into landlls. “Diverting materials that can be recycled out of those landlls will extend the life of them,” Roemer said. “In return, residents and cities will see cost savings.” Hannah Johnson contrib- uted to this report.

*SOME RECYCLING CENTERS DO NOT ALLOW GLASS.

For Roanoke residents, Republic Services’ Recycling Center can take symbols 1, 2 and 5. Community Waste Disposal accepts 1, 5 and 7 from Keller residents. Fort Worth runs its own recycling program and accepts the following four symbols. WHAT DO THOSE SYMBOLS MEAN?

KEY:

Roanoke

Keller

Fort Worth

1 1 1 PET/PETE: Polyethylene terephthalate Microwavable food trays, water bottles

1 1 HDPE: High-density polyethylene Household cleaner, shampoo bottles, milk jugs

1 1 1 PP: Polypropylene Ketchup bottles, medicine bottles, straws

1 1 OTHER: Miscellaneous Water jugs, nylon, some food containers

SOURCES: REPUBLIC SERVICES, OLD FARMER’S ALMANACCOMMUNITY IMPACT

For more information on what can and can’t be recycled for each city, Roanoke residents can visit www.republicservices.com/residents/ recycling . Keller residents can visit https://bit.ly/41XsTju . Fort worth residents can visit https://bit.ly/3MeyI61

For more information, visit

community impact.com .

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KELLER ROANOKE NORTHEAST FORT WORTH EDITION • MAY 2023