A weekly column by Duncan Watson, solid waste coordinator for the city of Keene, N.H.
With tips by Charles R. "Charlie" Beauregard, a longtime Swanzey, N.H. planning board member.
It's best to keep your knees bent in the recycling business. Being flexible allows us to respond to manufacturing changes that affect our ability to recycle products. The latest example comes from H.P. Hood, which recently claimed to have invented a better mousetrap in the form of a new milk jug.
A marketing blitz hailed Hood's new opaque milk jug that blocks light and supposedly protects vitamins and flavor. The jugs are made from high density polyethylene (HDPE), or more commonly known as #2 plastic. No problem so far. Hood added that, as a bonus, the containers were fully recyclable just as milk jugs have traditionally been.
We separate HDPE containers into three different categories: natural HDPE (which comprises translucent containers like milk and water jugs), colored HDPE (detergent bottles, etc.), and all other HDPE containers. At first we put the containers in natural HDPE, but we soon found out that the Hood milk jugs are made of HDPE with titanium dioxide blended in to give them their opaque qualities. Shortly thereafter we were informed by the companies that purchase recycled plastic that the opaque Hood containers could no longer be included in natural HDPE and only a certain percentage could be included in colored HDPE. The net effect of all this is that our production of natural HDPE has dropped by 1/3 and since natural HDPE is more valuable than colored HDPE, we now receive reduced revenue as well.
The last time I checked, the light goes out in the refrigerator when I close the door so the Hood milk jug isn't doing much for me when I get it home. I guess Hood would claim that the lights at the grocery store are what can reduce flavor and vitamins, but it seems to me that milk is sold quickly enough to make this a dubious argument. Of particular aggravation is the fact that I cannot determine how much milk is left in the container just by looking at it. The other irritating thing is that the store where I usually buy my milk only carries Hood milk, which means I can't easily send a message to the manufacturer by buying a different product. Of course I can, and will, purchase milk from other stores which carry other brands of milk, but it messes up the routine.
Frankly, this whole thing smacks of like a marketing ploy designed to distinguish Hood milk as being superior in some way because it comes in a bottle that blocks light. I liken the situation to how we see beer bottles at the recycling center. Unless beer is pasteurized, it must be placed in a container that blocks light to prevent it from becoming "skunky." Most domestically produced unpasteurized beer is sold in brown bottles. Imported beer is often sold in green bottles, not because green bottles are better, but because consumers associate green bottles with imported beer. Trying to distinguish similar products in the marketplace is the job of marketers. Unfortunately, recycling is often made more difficult by the marketers who don't think the whole process through. It's no longer sufficient just to sell products, but to ensure they are produced with some thought given to their final disposition.
Note: Charlie says - "Homeowners can recycle old fluorescent light bulbs at the Keene Recycling Center at no charge. The bulbs contain small amounts of mercury which could pose a hazard if improperly disposed of. Please take care not to break the bulb and see an attendant as to where they should be placed ."
Duncan Watson is the solid waste coordinator for the Keene Public Works Department.
Swanzey, NH