This year marks the 10th anniversary of single stream recycling in Sioux Falls. Since the program began in 2007, the weight of material collected by the local recovery facility, Millennium Recycling, Inc., has increased by 65% annually.
The anniversary follows the recent City announcement that Sioux Falls recycles nearly half of its waste, which can be directly linked to the progress of single stream recycling.
鈥淲e are always looking for new ways to benefit the community through recycling,鈥� says Millennium CEO, Jake Anderson, 鈥淪ince adopting single stream ten years ago, we鈥檝e been able to dramatically improve our operations while keeping Sioux Falls on the map as a leader in this global, ever-changing industry.鈥�
Single stream refers to one, single collection container for all recyclables. No sorting or separation into different bins is required. 国产麻豆owners and qualified businesses can simply place all of their recyclable materials loose into one bin for pickup by their waste hauler, whether they are located right in Sioux Falls or in one of the many communities Millennium serves within a 250-mile radius.
Materials are then brought to the recovery facility where automated equipment is used to sort recyclables into categories such as cardboard, paper, plastic, aluminum and steel. After sorting, the materials are sent to specialized processors and end users to prepare them for reuse.
According to Anderson, using one bin for all recyclables has made it easier for residents to engage and participate in daily recycling habits as well as simplified the collection process for waste haulers. This has led to an increase in the city鈥檚 recycling rate and a significant drop in the amount of waste being buried in the ground as garbage.
Recycling in general improves the environment, supports the economy, increases sustainable manufacturing, and prevents waste from going into the ground or ending up in oceans. While many of us understand the benefits, we often don鈥檛 understand what actually goes in the bin.
鈥淢any people don鈥檛 realize how sophisticated our recycling system is,鈥� says Anderson, 鈥淲e鈥檝e made great strides over the years to improve efficiencies and are always looking at ways to innovate and expand our program. When you compare what we are doing with these high profile cities around the country, we are really ahead of the curve.鈥�
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