Some recycled material from Seattle is now ending up in landfills as a result of new recycling restrictions from China, The Seattle Times first reported Thursday.
China only wants recyclables that are empty, clean and dry. So at the beginning of this year, China started cracking down. The Washington Refuse and Recycling Association says China banned the import of 24 varieties of solid waste and recyclables and imposed a new 0.5% contaminant limit.
KING 5 reported in October that the new policy was coming and businesses, like The Recycling Depot, were bracing for the impact.
Friday, we went back to The Recycling Depot, where manager Joe Salvatore said they were preparing to close the Rainer Avenue location.
"We've been here for 38 years," said Salvatore. "Recycling has changed. We just can't make the profit that we need to stay open."
Customers still arrive with truckloads of cardboard, but the cash isn't coming in like it use to.
"I've got just two employees left. I've let everybody else go," said Salvatore.
He says the closure, that's likely imminent, has a lot to do with China. The rules there are making it harder to run the business, according to Salvatore.
"China is a big player in the world of recycling, and boy, when they make a move as dramatic as this one has been, it affects the entire world," he said.
"In Washington, some communities are diverting recyclables to landfills to prevent public health and fire code issues," said Brad Lovaas, WRRA Executive Director. "It's not safe to store large quantities of recyclables inside for fire code reasons and not feasible to store them outside due to our wet climate."
Since China is the largest consumer of recyclables in the world, the ban has driven prices way down.
"If I can't pay my customers a good amount of money to bring it in to me, then its not worth it for them to pick it up," said Salvatore. "We've been here a long time and people just depend on this place to bring their stuff. It is going to be a shame if we have to shut down."
