Pacific/West Recycling Services, Inc.

Shame on us for recycling badly and sending our trash to China -

The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act - aka California's bottle bill or bottle deposit or CRV program - was 30 years old on Octo...ber 1. In 1987 virtually no California PET bottles (plastic water and soda bottles were being recycled - today about 75% are recycled.

Deposits do work but also bring a new problem - recycling fraud! California is a victim

Looks like China will ban the importation of post consumer materials including most plastics. Most west coast plastics usually were shipped to China but now need to find new markets. Already the largest exporter of plastics to China has withdrawn from the marketplace. Ocean shipping companies are not issuing bookings for post consumer plastics that used to go to Hong Kong and mainland China ports. Domestic markets are likely to decrease prices as more material becomes avail...able and will purchase the cleanest material with minimal contamination. Some west coast MRFs (material recovery facilities) will be challenged to find markets for their post consumer plastics unless they sort better and reduce contamination. The public can help by limiting the plastics they put in their household recycling bins to plastic bottles that are #1 PET or #2 HDPE bottles or #5 polypropylene bottles, tubs and lids. No plastic bags or film. No styrofoam type products. More later