By Mary Jo Frank
Of the 12,000 tons of recyclable materials processed annually by Recycle Ann Arbor, about one-sixth comes from the U-M, according to Timothy Brownell.
Brownell, executive director of Recyle Ann Arbor, gave 40 U-M students and employees, most of them Building Services area managers and custodial supervisors, a tour of the recycling center last week. The visitors saw first hand what happens to the tons of newsprint, mixed office paper, computer paper, cardboard, glass, plastic and metal that the U-M sends to Recycle Ann Arbor.
Erica M. Spiegel, administrative assistant in Grounds and Waste Management Services, arranged the tour.
Richard J. Williams, custodial supervisor, notes that University custodians put a lot of time and effort into recycling. For some, recycling increases their workload. For others, when building occupants learn to separate recyclables properly, the work load becomes lighter.
Brownell explained that the U-M is now collecting cardboard, newspapers and office paper at one time and dumping it at the recycling center, where it is separated. Recycle Ann Arbor employees pull off the cardboard and then separate plastic bags of newspaper from bags of office paper. It is important that recyclers tie the bags closed so the paper doesn’t mix, Spiegel said.
While newspaper and cardboard sell for only $25 or $30 per ton, recycling it is cheaper than sending it to the landfill. Higher quality white paper brings $100 per ton and computer paper sells for as much as $150 per ton. However, if newsprint is contaminated with computer paper or office paper is contaminated with newsprint, the value drops dramatically. Buyers refuse to accept paper with more than 2 percent to 5 percent contamination.
A converted potato hopper is used to separate milk jugs, No. 2 plastics, aluminum, tin and three colors of glass. Metal lids need to be removed from glass jars, Brownell explained, because of the magnet that is used to separate tin and steel from other recylables. Again, buyers have little tolerance for contamination.
A few pieces of Pyrex or ceramic materials in a load of glass will make it unsaleable, according to Brownell, because buyers usually melt the glass and mold it into bottles. Ceramic and Pyrex melt at a higher temperature than glass. Contaminated glass is likely to explode during the molding process, explained Brownell, who thanked the staff members for the effort they and the U-M’s 400 custodians put into recycling.
