Solving the plastic lid dilemma

When I heard that Agri-Plas, a company located in Brooks, Oregon, was going to start converting plastic lids to oil, I decided to find out if apartment residents would recycle plastic lids. I asked the manager of my apartment building if he would allow me to set up a system to recover the lids. I designed a poster to explain the process to the residents. I placed the poster along with plastic bins in the recycling rooms on all nine floors in my building. I also placed posters on the building’s bulletin boards, requesting help from the residents in collecting the lids. It didn’t take long to find out how they would respond.

Within a few days lids began appearing in all of the baskets. People told me they never understood why they were asked to remove the lids and throw them in the garbage. Since placing the bins in the recycling rooms, we have had a steady stream of lids being recycled. The system has drastically decreased the number of lids being left on the containers. This is a classic case of how micro-recycling can work. We have incorporated the collection system in other buildings, with great success in each building. (Bottom photo), Matthew Lane, Community Manager of the 1200 Building, checks out the lids collected in the first couple of weeks.

The plastic lid dilemma

When you check a recycling bin, you will find plastic containers with the lids still attached. In the recycling instruction literature circulated by the city and county in Portland, Oregon, people are asked to remove the lids and throw them in the garbage. The literature states: No lids. As a recycling volunteer, I always removed the lids and disposed of them in the trash. I couldn’t understand why? They’re plastic, just like the bottles they’re attached to, so why can’t they be recycled? In checking with recycling companies, I heard several reasons why the lids cause problems in the recycling plants, so, I kept taking them off the bottles and throwing them in the trash.


Then I heard about the company Agri-Plas in Brooks, Oregon, that has plans to retrieve plastic lids and convert them into oil. They said they were going to start converting lids to oil in about six months. They also told me that they would accept the lids and stockpile them for future oil production. I decided that I was tired of throwing the lids in the trash, and started thinking about a way to retrieve the lids, with the help of the building residents.

Occupy Portland recycles

Since this blog is about multi-family housing, recycling and volunteers, I decided to check in on Occupy Portland to see how they were handling recycling. Occupy Portland is a community of 200 tents and about 400 residents set up in two park blocks in downtown Portland. They are conducting a protest in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement.

It turns out they have made provisions for recycling and are collecting material in segregated bins in the park. However, they need volunteers to help them remove the recycled items from the park. If anyone has a truck to help them with the removal, of the recycled materials, stop by anytime and ask for the head of the sanitation department.

Responsible recycling

Apartment residents have placed several improper items in this recycling barrel, including a large plastic bag, plastic bubble wrap and heavy plastic binding tape.

This barrel contains several banned plastic bags and contaminated food trays.

This paper bag was dropped in a recycling barrel clearly marked for bottles and cans. It contained several pieces of fabric and a small potted plant.

I’m familiar with the recycling operations of two apartment buildings. One of the main problems in both buildings involves residents continually putting improper items in the recycling barrels. Although the barrels are clearly marked, residents disregard the instructions and contaminate the recycling. The only way this can be improved is with an ongoing educational process. As a recycling volunteer in my building, I monitor our recycling rooms and remove as many unwanted items as possible. The use of informative signage in the recycling area would go a long way in helping to improve this situation. I don’t have a problem with people who don’t recycle, I wish they would, but it’s their choice. I do have a problem with people who contaminate the recycling. Recyclers need to learn to recycle responsibly. And I think it’s the responsibility of building management to help educate their tenants.

Captain Ecology

I’m proud to announce that the first person to endorse the Micro Recycling Network is Captain Ecology. I’ve had the honor and pleasure of working with the Captain in the past. Several years ago I published a bicycle newspaper in Southern California and Captain Ecology was a frequent contributor. His bicycle is his only form of transportation as he travels across the country looking for ways to improve the environment. He will be checking in with the Network from time to time with comments and ideas. He is a powerful ally, and we’re privileged to have him on board.