Recyclable lightweighting has pros and cons

Meghan Kincheloe, Sedona Recycles
Sedona Red Rock News
January 16, 2013

Since recycling first caught on in the 1970s, the products we recycle have changed drastically. Not only are there more types of plastics, tons of electronics, and more polystyrene packaging that we could have ever imagined, the way that recyclable products are made has changed too.

One of the most significant changes to recyclable materials is a method referred to by manufacturers as “lightweighting.” Lightweighting is the process of making containers such as aluminum and steel cans and plastic bottles thinner and lighter while still maintaining functionality. You may have noticed the effects of lightweighting when you easily crumple an empty plastic water bottle.

Lightweighting has a positive impact on the environment because fewer raw materials are used to manufacture lightweight products. Today’s containers are significantly lighter than they were in 1970: glass bottles are 20-50% lighter, steel cans are 33% lighter, aluminum cans are 30-40% lighter, and plastic bottles are 25% lighter.

Manufacturers have saved millions of dollars and significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions created by the production and shipping of products as a result of lightweighting. Mining impacts are reduced, less energy is used, and landfill waste is decreased. But there are some hidden effects of lightweighting that are easily overlooked.

Lightweight materials may weigh less, but they are the same size as heavier materials. Sedona Recycles has intimate knowledge of this, as we see our workload increase with larger amounts of material being delivered to our facility while recycling volumes have flat-lined over the past five years.

Sedona Recycles continues to receive more and more bottles, cans, and jugs, but these lighter products mean we have to do up to 50% more work to sell the same amount of material. This means higher hauling and processing expenses as we transport, sort and bale larger volumes of lighter materials. Unfortunately, these increased expenses do not translate to higher income. To boil it down, we are making less money while doing more work.

Recycling volumes and material prices always rise and fall but lightweighting is an environmentally beneficial trend that Sedona Recycles has to compensate for. Most visitors to the recycling center assume that our coffers must be overflowing like the towering pile of plastics and cans just inside our gate, but lightweighting is one of many reasons that this is not the case.

Income from the sale of recyclable materials only funds the wages for our staff.  That means that every other expense we have – fuel, insurance, maintenance, equipment, utilities, etc. – costs us above and beyond what we make selling recyclables. The need for community support in the form of financial donations and grants will continue to grow as lightweighting and other trends require us to work harder and longer for less money.

For Sedona Recycles to operate as the education-based nonprofit organization that our mission outlines, we need the public’s help to continue providing the resources we offer in addition to the nitty-gritty processing of recyclables that we are best known for. Please consider supporting your local recycling center today.

To find out how you can support Sedona Recycles and help us continue to grow and flourish, contact us at (928) 204-1185 or visit www.sedonarecycles.org.