Waste Management (WM) sent letters to 14 cities in Broward County, Fla., informing them that they could no longer recycle mixed paper—newspapers, mail, magazines, glossy inserts, pamphlets, catalogs, etc.—beginning August 1.
South Florida Sentinel reports that the reason is because residents had been tossing too much garbage into their recycling bins, contaminating the load and making recyclable materials difficult to sell. Recycling contamination in the county is roughly 37 percent, leaving Waste Management with tons of paper without a buyer in the U.S. or abroad.
After community pushback, WM changed its tune. According to the report, late last week, Waste Management sent out a new letter, citing: “We have heard from Broward County officials and several of our municipal customers who have asked if it would be possible to continue recycling mixed paper even in these challenging markets. We certainly want to work with you to honor that request.”
South Florida Sun Sentinel has more:
Corporate giant Waste Management said it will change its plans and allow mixed-paper recycling in Broward County after all.
The stunning about-face came late Friday afternoon to the surprise of city leaders who were already getting push-back from residents.