Candy wrappers taking toll on recycling centers

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (KCRG) – Lynn County’s solid waste and recycling company, Republic Services, said people throwing candy wrappers into the recycling is a post-Halloween problem.

Ari Hayford, sales manager for Republic Services, said the biggest problem they face is plastic bags. Just like those bags, the wrapping paper can start clogging the sorters, she said.

“The problem with candy wrappers is that they’re plastic and can’t be recycled in this system. There are only certain types,” she said.

Halloween was just the beginning of the increase. Hayford said he sees a 25% increase in materials passing through the center between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

“People are getting together and making more food together,” she said. “They’re also buying more party stuff. And of course, we’re looking at Christmas girlfriend wraps and other items that accumulate over the holiday season.”

If these items are not well captured in the sorting process, what was once a potential recycling pile can now end up in landfills.

“Empty, clean, and dry your containers,” she said. ”

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