Update on the selective sorting situation in Georgia
Selective sorting, also known as source separation, is a fundamental aspect of recycling in Georgia. For example, it is often necessary for anyone who wishes to undertake certain recycle work to rent a rubble dumpster to clean up their work environment, using local waste management services such as Dumpster Rental Near Me Gainesville.
This process involves separating recyclable materials at the point of origin, typically within households or businesses, into designated categories such as paper, plastic, glass, and metal. It is absolutely necessary to conduct this step, otherwise proper recycling is not possible.
Collection according to environmental challenges
The staff made available to collect household waste do not always check it before sending it to the waste bins. To achieve efficient collection, collection must be organized as follows:
- Door-to-door collection (selective sorting of organic waste, household waste)
- Organization of voluntary collection points
- Local mobile or fixed recycling centers
- Collection of bulky waste on request
- Specific collections: diffuse hazardous waste, textiles
- Alternative transport of electric vehicles, automated collection, river collection points, horse-drawn collection
A collection organized in this way avoids serious errors during destruction. By sorting these materials before they reach recycling facilities, contaminants are minimized, and the quality of recycled materials is improved, facilitating their reuse in the manufacturing processes in Georgia.
Waste recovery services
Selective sorting promotes resource efficiency, reduces landfill waste sent to local landfills in Georgia, and conserves energy compared to mixed waste disposal methods.
These services must have data recovery sheets. They will be used to:
- Identify users of a specific type of material and even the waste that may result from it
- Identify sorting errors
- Carry out a careful analysis of the data in order to consider possible improvements to the service (modification of collection circuits, targeted communication to improve sorting)
Waste recycling
While the implementation of selective sorting varies across counties in Georgia, efforts such as education campaigns and infrastructure development will continue to improve recycling practices statewide, offering a more sustainable approach to waste management in Georgia.
Recycling most often concerns plastic materials because they are non-biodegradable; they are not likely to be degraded by bacteria or other biological agents, and may take hundreds of years tp decomppse.
When plastic materials are thrown into the waste bins brought for sorting, the operation is never won in advance. Sorting agents often start by identifying these different materials by looking for children’s toys, garden items and furniture, etc. They also examine mounds of plastic soaked in non-recyclable garbage such as suspended food or medical waste. The tricky part is when they come across a lot of plastic bottles. Moreover, not all of them can even be reused anymore. One study showed that 24% of plastic bottles were discarded as too contaminated to be recyclable. Clearly, there is still progress to be made in terms of sorting and recycling our waste.
