LATEST NEWS

March 17th, 2010 - "Trash Fees Drop". The Bristol Press. March 16, 2010. BRISTOL — For the first time, the regional trash agency is lowering the cost of (...) [ read more ]

March 10th, 2010 - Tunxis Recycling Operating Committee Announces Household Hazardous Waste Collections for 2010. 2010 Household Hazardous Waste Collections for TROC member communities. (...) [ read more ]

LATEST LEGISLATION

March 8th, 2010 - Testimony of the Bristol Resource Recovery Facility & Tunxis Recycling Operating Committees to the Legislative Program & Review Investigations Committee March 8, 2010. Testimony of the Bristol Resource Recovery Facility Operating Committee & the Tunxis Recycling Operating Committee (...) [ read more ]

March 8th, 2010 - Testimony of the Bristol Resource Recovery Facility Operating Committee And the Tunxis Recycling Operating Committee to the Environment Committee March 8, 2010. An Act Concerning Recycling, Certain Solid Waste Management Reforms and Requirements for Solid Waste and (...) [ read more ]

Plastic

By far the fastest growing packaging material, the use of plastics in consumer beverages increased by over 50% from the mid-1990's to the present (American Plastics Council). In order to keep TROC's recycling program cost-effective, acceptable plastic containers are limited to resins #1 polyethylene terephlalate (PETE) and #2 high density polyethylene (HDPE).

Currently, Connecticut's container redemption legislation currently applies a 5¢ deposit only to PETE carbonated beverages, although the legislature has considered numerous proposals for expanding deposit legislation to other types of plastic beverage containers.

#2 - HDPE While there is enormous potential for using recycled plastics in consumer products from carpet to clothing, and in some cases for new beverage containers, the largest market for recycled plastics presently is in China, where rapid economic expansion and favorable labor rates provide greater opportunity than in domestic markets.

EPA estimates plastics (all resin types) comprised about 12% of MSW in 2005, and the recycling rate for plastic beverage containers was estimated to be slightly under 10%.