Contamination threatens recycling programs with Harrison Hills and Westmoreland Cleanways

Audrey Bensy of Fox Chapel unloaded a trunk full of flattened cardboard boxes on Friday and stacked them neatly into the public recycling bins at Harrison Hills Park.

She is among a drove of people who drop off plastics, aluminum, glass and paper at the blue bins near the park’s Yakaon Shelter. More than 145,000 pounds total was diverted last year from landfills through the effort, officials said.

But not everyone follows the rules, and that puts the program in jeopardy.

“We’re having constant issues with people throwing loose debris in and then we have to clean it out,” said Andy Grobe, deputy director of county Parks and Recreation.

“Some people are just throwing garbage in there.”

Mike Skapura, executive director at Westmoreland Cleanways, struggles with similar issues of people not following the rules.

“We’ve had McDonald’s bags and everything else in the bins,” he said.

Mostly, the challenges at Westmoreland Cleanways stem from people tossing items in the wrong bin. There’s a particular spot for each category, but Skapura said somehow, brake drums end up in the aluminum bin and mattresses in with the plastics.

“They learn, and it’s an education,” he said. “Because it’s not a universal policy across the state of what can be recycled, there’s a learning curve.

“They could just throw it over the hillside, but they choose to bring it to us. So we want to encourage that.”

Recycling is offered as a perk 24/7 year-round through Allegheny County, which operates the park off of Freeport Road in Harrison.

Leaving food in containers and disregarding other guidelines is gumming up the works, Grobe said.

People are asked to place clean, co-mingled items in bags, he said.

“We want to keep it up there because it’s a high-volume collection,” he said. “But it’s becoming too taxing to keep up with it.”

Tossing food and other trash into the bins not only creates work for park laborers, it also diminishes the quality of the items in their second life.

Food contamination creates a bacteria-filled environment that compromises the recyclable materials, according to Unisan, a group that helps businesses promote recycling.

Paper, cardboard, plastic and metal are all susceptible to contamination and can become unsuitable for recycling after mixed with trash.

That means that otherwise eligible items get sent to a landfill or incinerator anyway and creates additional carbon footprint, according to the Unisan website.

County spokeswoman Abigail Gardner said park staff spends hours of clean-up from people over stuffing the bins, not placing the items in bags as required, and from food residue left in containers. The bins are emptied three times a week.

New signs with detailed instructions are going up to remind people of the rules.

Why it’s important

Recycling not only reduces the need for landfills but it saves energy, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and conserves natural resources.

In Pennsylvania, more than 4.9 million tons of recyclables were processed in 2022.

It’s the equivalent of nearly 1.7 million passenger vehicles taken off the road for a year or eliminating electricity used in about 1.4 million homes a year, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The state’s waste and recycling industry also creates a lot of jobs, more than 26,000 in all, according to PA Waste Industries.

Westmoreland Cleanways’ massive program

More than 3 million pounds of hard-to-recycle items, glass and electronics were tossed at his 8-acre facility last year.

“Yes, we can sort it out — but that’s not the purpose of the program,” Skapura said. “Usually, people are nice about it once we bring it to their attention, but some people just have problems following the rules.”

The Unity Township facility has seen consistent growth in recent years, collecting 2.8 million pounds of recycling in 2022, 3 million pounds in 2023 and 3 million-plus last year. Final tallies are not yet available.

Skapura said there’s sometimes upward of 200 cars a day that come through from across Westmoreland County and beyond.

“If you want to drive out here from Brackenridge to bring your glass, bless your heart, we’ll take it,” he said.

At Harrison Hills, officials are hoping new signs can help sort out the mess.

Harrison Hills program unique

It’s the only county park that offers the year-round recycling for all items, although a permanent glass drop-off was recently opened at Boyce Park in Plum.

The county has offered the program in Harrison since 2014 after some residential areas stopped curbside collection, Gardner said.

“I appreciate the service,” Bensy said, noting she doesn’t mind the 20-minute drive from Fox Chapel to drop off her recycling and help the environment. “I don’t know where else I would take them.”