Reverse vending and traditional recycling
What is the difference between curbside collection and reverse vending machine recycling?
Making sure that waste is handled as effectively as possible is key to building a truly circular economy. Across the globe, different waste management systems are being implemented at the national, state, and local levels. While these systems may vary in operation, they all share the goal of promoting responsible resource handling. Two common waste collection methods include reverse vending vs traditional recycling:
- Curbside collection of trash: This involves garbage trucks picking up household or community waste from designated bins, whether at homes, apartments, or businesses.
- Reverse vending machines (RVMs): Used for collecting drink containers, such as bottles and cans, reverse vending machines are often found in supermarkets and other public spaces in regions with a deposit return scheme (DRS).
But what’s the difference between these approaches, and how do they affect the recycling process? We explore the key differences between curbside collection and reverse vending machine recycling, and how both methods contribute to efficient resource management in a circular economy.
What is curbside collection?
Curbside collection refers to the gathering of waste from people’s homes, as well as from offices and other locations, by a waste management service. These could be in a general waste bin or a recycling bin.Once collected, the various types of waste are taken to dedicated facilities to be processed. If it’s already been pre-sorted from other waste in some way, as is sometimes the case for glass, paper, or plastics, it might go directly to a location that specializes in working with these materials.
If it’s mixed waste, the different materials (plastics, metals, wood, paper, and so on) will be taken together to a waste sorting facility to separate out the recyclable content that should not be sent to landfill or incineration.
Those recyclable materials can then be taken to a recycling plant, where finer sorting methods are used to create “pure” streams of each material type. In addition, they are washed and shredded in preparation for being turned into high-quality recycled content that can be used to make new products.
There is no “one size fits all” approach when it comes to curbside recycling and many factors – like the country, state, or city that the system is in, the overall population, the materials that are collected, and the range of facilities available – influence how it’s implemented.
Those recyclable materials can then be taken to a recycling plant, where finer sorting methods are used to create “pure” streams of each material type. In addition, they are washed and shredded in preparation for being turned into high-quality recycled content that can be used to make new products.
There is no “one size fits all” approach when it comes to curbside recycling and many factors – like the country, state, or city that the system is in, the overall population, the materials that are collected, and the range of facilities available – influence how it’s implemented.
How does reverse vending machine recycling work?
Reverse vending machines are typically used as part of the infrastructure put in place to enable a deposit return scheme to recycle drink containers. When a deposit return scheme is active, consumers pay a small deposit when purchasing a drink, and when they return the empty container (eg, an aluminum can, glass bottle or plastic bottle) to a reverse vending machine, they get the deposit money back.
Since these reverse vending machines are normally located in the likes of grocery stores or supermarkets, it’s convenient for consumers to return their containers as part of their existing shopping habits. This makes it a simple and effective way to encourage people to return containers made from valuable, recyclable materials, instead of littering them or throwing them into regular trash cans. Deposit return schemes can achieve a return rate and recycling rate as high as 98%.
Reverse vending machines are typically used as part of the infrastructure put in place to enable a deposit return scheme to recycle drink containers. When a deposit return scheme is active, consumers pay a small deposit when purchasing a drink, and when they return the empty container (eg, an aluminum can, glass bottle or plastic bottle) to a reverse vending machine, they get the deposit money back.
Since these reverse vending machines are normally located in the likes of grocery stores or supermarkets, it’s convenient for consumers to return their containers as part of their existing shopping habits. This makes it a simple and effective way to encourage people to return containers made from valuable, recyclable materials, instead of littering them or throwing them into regular trash cans. Deposit return schemes can achieve a return rate and recycling rate as high as 98%.
But why might throwing them in the regular trash be a problem? Wouldn’t they just get sorted out at a recycling facility as we explained above?
Well, because beverage containers returned for recycling as part of a deposit return scheme are collected and sorted separately (because you don’t put other types of trash in a reverse vending machine), the risk of contamination from different kinds of waste is removed.
This separate collection through a reverse vending machine enables containers to maintain their “food-grade” status, meaning they can be recycled into new drink containers, again and again, rather than be downcycled into lower-quality products that will then no longer be recyclable, as is generally the case when no advanced sorting systems are available.
Normally, when a product or material is used and then recycled back into that same product or material, it is called “closed-loop recycling”. At TOMRA, we call the continuous recycling of bottles and cans into new bottles and cans Clean Loop Recycling. The “Clean” refers to the additional factor of keeping that food-grade status in place, as achieved through separate collection via a reverse vending machine, turning those bottles and cans into recyclable material.
Curbside collection and reverse vending machines use different methods for the collection and sorting of recyclable material. But both have the same goal of ensuring as much high-quality material can be collected and recycled to be used again.
While a reverse vending machine specifically targets the collection of used beverage containers to recycle through Clean Loop Recycling, curbside collection enables the effective sorting of other recyclable materials. When operating together, these two approaches create a holistic waste management system that enables each resource to be handled in the most responsible way.
These solutions, when working as one, deliver a waste management system that reduces impact on the environment, ensures society can recycle more materials, and protects valuable resources at the same time.
Well, because beverage containers returned for recycling as part of a deposit return scheme are collected and sorted separately (because you don’t put other types of trash in a reverse vending machine), the risk of contamination from different kinds of waste is removed.
This separate collection through a reverse vending machine enables containers to maintain their “food-grade” status, meaning they can be recycled into new drink containers, again and again, rather than be downcycled into lower-quality products that will then no longer be recyclable, as is generally the case when no advanced sorting systems are available.
Normally, when a product or material is used and then recycled back into that same product or material, it is called “closed-loop recycling”. At TOMRA, we call the continuous recycling of bottles and cans into new bottles and cans Clean Loop Recycling. The “Clean” refers to the additional factor of keeping that food-grade status in place, as achieved through separate collection via a reverse vending machine, turning those bottles and cans into recyclable material.
How can curbside collection and reverse vending machines work together to create results?
Curbside collection and reverse vending machines use different methods for the collection and sorting of recyclable material. But both have the same goal of ensuring as much high-quality material can be collected and recycled to be used again.
While a reverse vending machine specifically targets the collection of used beverage containers to recycle through Clean Loop Recycling, curbside collection enables the effective sorting of other recyclable materials. When operating together, these two approaches create a holistic waste management system that enables each resource to be handled in the most responsible way.
These solutions, when working as one, deliver a waste management system that reduces impact on the environment, ensures society can recycle more materials, and protects valuable resources at the same time.
