COVID-19 has produced more complications for professionals in local waste and recycling collection.
While the job has become all the more important with greater waste generation in residential areas of San Jose, waste hauling companies have felt the financial squeeze of suspended and terminated pickups by businesses â plus a lapse in recycling etiquette from locals.
The lapse could mean less company earnings from recycled waste plus expenses for disposing the added contamination. This means a strain on the environment and safety concerns for workers.
“Our drivers are, in many instances, touching every cart and being exposed at every residence and every business,” said Emily Hanson, chief strategy officer at garbage hauler GreenWaste Recovery.
Overall, San Jose has seen a significant decrease in solid waste collection, a city spokeswoman said in an email. On the commercial side, local businesses have produced 50 percent less wet waste like discarded food.
They’ve produced 30 percent less dry waste, which includes products made of wood, metal and glass.
The bad news is that this has resulted in 20 percent less separated recyclable materials for waste collection businesses to sell to those who turn recyclables into new goods, plus the need to dispose of additional products going to landfills.
Read the full story from the San Jose Spotlight here.
Copyright 2020 KQED