06/09/2026
On Waste Audit #5, we spotted a few 5-gallon water jugs in the recycling bins. We mentioned that while the shape of the container is similar to what we want (like a milk jug or water bottle), the size is too large for the equipment at a MRF (Materials Recovery Facility).
This video shows what we mean.
Recyclables travel along a conveyor and pass through an optical scanner that uses AI to identify materials. Precise bursts of air then push each item onto a different conveyor, where it’s grouped with similar materials, baled, and sent for recycling.
There simply isn’t much room in that system for oversized items.
A 5-gallon jug may be made of the right plastic, but it’s too large to safely move through the sorting equipment without risking damage. The same goes for a 55-gallon drum. Even though it may be made of HDPE—the same material as a milk jug—its size makes it incompatible with the system. And cutting it into smaller pieces doesn’t solve the issue, because the optical scanner won’t be able to properly identify the material.
Single-stream recycling works very well for the most common household recyclables. But with the huge variety of products we consume today, it’s nearly impossible for one system to safely and effectively process everything. That's why we encourage using all three R's, Reducing, reusing, and THEN recycling.
