Twenty-one percent of material recycled at UT is contaminated and must take a longer, more costly route to the landfill.
“We can’t process (contamination) or sell it,” said Alexandra Gyarfas, director of marketing at Balcones Resources, the material recovery facility that processes recycled waste from UT and the city of Austin. “(Contamination) causes not only operational strain but also environmental strain. … It takes a longer, more expensive trip to the landfill. … It also impacts our employee safety.”
Gyarfas said particularly dangerous contaminants include batteries, tanglers and human, pet and medical waste.
Gyarfas said lithium-ion batteries, which are rechargeable components found in electronic devices, often catch fire — a problem worsened by the prevalence of paper and cardboard in recycling facilities. In 2021, the Environmental Protection…
