# Did Commingled Curbside Collection Kill Recycling Quality?: 34 Sourced Claims, Contested Facts & Evidence Single-stream collection inflated public participation at the cost of high contamination, turning usable recyclables into refuse at the MRF. Authors: joe HTML: https://moyomap.com/maps/did-commingled-curbside-collection Markdown: https://moyomap.com/maps/did-commingled-curbside-collection.md License: HTML and markdown are for reading and citation. Bulk copying and AI training need a written license. See /terms and /developers#maps-data. Cite a claim as: MoyoMap, "Did Commingled Curbside Collection Kill Recycling Quality?: 34 Sourced Claims, Contested Facts & Evidence", claim {id}, https://moyomap.com/maps/did-commingled-curbside-collection.md#{id}. “Moyo, a product of SenTeGuard Inc.” ### A 2019 national dataset cited by Oregon DEQ found inbound contamination was 17.67% for cart-based programs co… Id: claim_180274c891e8bbb65c4a1c2c Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 A 2019 national dataset cited by Oregon DEQ found inbound contamination was 17.67% for cart-based programs compared to 12.67% for bin/bag recycling programs. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known ### A survey of 13 Alberta waste-management organizations found contamination rates of roughly 10% in multi-strea… Id: claim_3175ded9841837416bc1abe6 Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 A survey of 13 Alberta waste-management organizations found contamination rates of roughly 10% in multi-stream systems compared to 20% or more in single-stream systems. Labels: Inferred, Low, known ### Only about one-third of US communities measure their inbound contamination rate, meaning the 17% national ave… Id: claim_31e1355afae0878573a86a76 Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 Only about one-third of US communities measure their inbound contamination rate, meaning the 17% national average reported by The Recycling Partnership is drawn from a self-selected sample. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known ### A Hinkley Center and University of Florida study pooling 16 recyclable composition studies found a mean conta… Id: claim_33a5b1aa29cdf1ca78a33f22 Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 A Hinkley Center and University of Florida study pooling 16 recyclable composition studies found a mean contamination rate of 18.54% for single-stream systems compared to 3.89% for dual-stream systems. Labels: Inferred, Low, known ### Seattle Public Utilities documented that residential recycling contamination increased from 4% by weight in 2… Id: claim_4d6de1ded87a709ecc9046ef Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 Seattle Public Utilities documented that residential recycling contamination increased from 4% by weight in 2000 to 11% in 2020. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known ### An Oregon DEQ case study of an operating MRF recorded overall contamination rates of 15% for dual-stream vers… Id: claim_52b899a463cd446e7db055b4 Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 An Oregon DEQ case study of an operating MRF recorded overall contamination rates of 15% for dual-stream versus 30% for single-stream. Labels: Inferred, Low, known ### Pinellas County, Florida's contracting guidance cites an average residue rate of 27% for single-stream MRFs v… Id: claim_54eeffe4ad8d4547fe3f133d Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 Pinellas County, Florida's contracting guidance cites an average residue rate of 27% for single-stream MRFs versus 18% for dual-stream MRFs. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known ### A December 2005 R.W. Id: claim_57cf60c5fd77cf0d8918f8f6 Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 A December 2005 R.W. Beck study covering the Minnesota region reported a 17% residual rate for single-stream recycling. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known ### Delaware DNREC's 2020 municipal-recycling assessment applied an average 17% MRF residue rate to inbound curbs… Id: claim_583f4c777dedc83ce054ccc4 Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 Delaware DNREC's 2020 municipal-recycling assessment applied an average 17% MRF residue rate to inbound curbside single-stream loads. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known ### Waste Management operational data presented to the EPA showed inbound contamination averaged 16% of tons, pea… Id: claim_776cd6fb54c39ad396f2135d Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 Waste Management operational data presented to the EPA showed inbound contamination averaged 16% of tons, peaked up to 50% on incoming loads, and cost an average of $140 per ton. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known ### Texas's 2019 Recycling Market Development Plan reported a 22.4% contamination rate at single-stream MRFs. Id: claim_8e94bebab3827d2ea434d32f Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 Texas's 2019 Recycling Market Development Plan reported a 22.4% contamination rate at single-stream MRFs. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known ### A dual-stream pilot program in Mill Valley achieved a residual rate of 6% to 7% while maintaining total colle… Id: claim_bbc2e48afb7bd4d104d04486 Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 A dual-stream pilot program in Mill Valley achieved a residual rate of 6% to 7% while maintaining total collected tonnages and customer participation comparable to single-stream. Labels: Inferred, Low, known ### Contaminants placed in Seattle's residential recycling and food-and-yard-waste bins exceed 9,800 tons per yea… Id: claim_bd923c143dc4e0aaae960b61 Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 Contaminants placed in Seattle's residential recycling and food-and-yard-waste bins exceed 9,800 tons per year. Labels: Source-linked, Low, investigate ### In a Florida county with a 28.2% single-stream contamination rate, an official 58% recycling rate in 2015 dro… Id: claim_bfb772ccf4d4d6306ebc7822 Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 In a Florida county with a 28.2% single-stream contamination rate, an official 58% recycling rate in 2015 dropped to an actual calculated rate of 41.64% after subtracting rejected material. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known ### Yields of recyclable plastics drop from 75–78% under dual stream to 68–70% under single stream, compared to a… Id: claim_d351bb64ceef1b135aea183e Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 Yields of recyclable plastics drop from 75–78% under dual stream to 68–70% under single stream, compared to approximately 85% under container deposit systems. Labels: Inferred, Low, known ### A 2002 Eureka Recycling analysis in Saint Paul found residual/outthrow rates of 27.2% for three single-stream… Id: claim_dd2bd4cb3ec478866e87b5ab Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 A 2002 Eureka Recycling analysis in Saint Paul found residual/outthrow rates of 27.2% for three single-stream systems, compared to 10–12% for four dual-stream systems and 1.6% for source-separated collection. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known ### Ontario's 2018 MRF-residue calculations recorded a 20.3% residue rate for single-stream material compared to… Id: claim_f320b3cd14e4a0d5175a27f3 Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 Ontario's 2018 MRF-residue calculations recorded a 20.3% residue rate for single-stream material compared to 9.8% for multi-stream material. Labels: Inferred, Low, known ### City of Houston Recycling Contamination Audits Id: section_3444dc5353b0b21066f2289e Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 City of Houston Recycling Contamination Audits Labels: Inferred, Low ### Glass Contamination and Processing Issues Id: section_3b407d6ffa4318778fc41ea3 Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 Glass Contamination and Processing Issues Labels: Inferred, Low ### Miami-Dade County Recycling Contamination and Policy Id: section_42dccf6834c0644fc224e30b Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 Miami-Dade County Recycling Contamination and Policy Labels: Inferred, Low ### Adoption and Growth of Single-Stream Recycling Id: section_5284e24c3688e8511bc6b9e4 Parent: topic_DFdMePjAZZNi3hlInvsO Depth: 1 Adoption and Growth of Single-Stream Recycling Labels: Inferred, Low #### Miami-Dade County single-stream composition studies showed contamination rising from 28.3% in 2015 to 39.7% i… Id: claim_10a0201ed852576c63523a6a Parent: section_42dccf6834c0644fc224e30b Depth: 2 Miami-Dade County single-stream composition studies showed contamination rising from 28.3% in 2015 to 39.7% in 2018 and reaching 48.8% in 2020. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known #### The City of Houston eliminated glass from its curbside single-stream recycling on July 23, 2016, after glass… Id: claim_2cf809c8e6ab79964260bd26 Parent: section_3444dc5353b0b21066f2289e Depth: 2 The City of Houston eliminated glass from its curbside single-stream recycling on July 23, 2016, after glass had accounted for up to 18.7% by weight of audited loads earlier that year. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known #### The share of U.S. Id: claim_34c06167871bd7c9e378a5e5 Parent: section_5284e24c3688e8511bc6b9e4 Depth: 2 The share of U.S. recycling communities utilizing single-stream collection rose from 20% in 2005 to 64% in 2010, while multi-stream collection fell from roughly 70% to 34%. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known #### Of the 9 million tons of glass containers generated annually in US municipal solid waste, roughly 6 million t… Id: claim_3ee251a0da2b19ee47a4102b Parent: section_3b407d6ffa4318778fc41ea3 Depth: 2 Of the 9 million tons of glass containers generated annually in US municipal solid waste, roughly 6 million tons (67%) are landfilled, largely due to single-stream collection contamination. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known #### A 2025 Atlanta City Auditor's report found that only 40% of glass placed into single-stream recycling is actu… Id: claim_77d7526f86aef0fdd1ad94fa Parent: section_3b407d6ffa4318778fc41ea3 Depth: 2 A 2025 Atlanta City Auditor's report found that only 40% of glass placed into single-stream recycling is actually accepted for recycling. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known #### Only 31.4% of 35 old corrugated cardboard (OCC) samples satisfied paper mill standards across all contaminati… Id: claim_7a9292eadc593c9807a7a917 Parent: claim_33a5b1aa29cdf1ca78a33f22 Depth: 2 Only 31.4% of 35 old corrugated cardboard (OCC) samples satisfied paper mill standards across all contamination types in a Hinkley Center study. Labels: Inferred, Low, known #### Eureka Recycling's 2002 Saint Paul study found that while single-stream increased collected tonnage by 20.8%,… Id: claim_7df37434de99f6040a6bbea4 Parent: claim_dd2bd4cb3ec478866e87b5ab Depth: 2 Eureka Recycling's 2002 Saint Paul study found that while single-stream increased collected tonnage by 20.8%, it resulted in a 12.2% net decrease in tons actually recycled after processing losses. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known #### Glass-shard damage at the Shoreline Recycling & Transfer Station cost approximately $500,000 per year exclusi… Id: claim_92bb3c92c511cea44493fbcb Parent: section_3b407d6ffa4318778fc41ea3 Depth: 2 Glass-shard damage at the Shoreline Recycling & Transfer Station cost approximately $500,000 per year exclusively for replacing screen basket valves. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known #### An ANOVA test confirmed at the 0.999 significance level that single-stream recycling contamination rates are… Id: claim_9eff2e2d053bad0e49ed6029 Parent: claim_33a5b1aa29cdf1ca78a33f22 Depth: 2 An ANOVA test confirmed at the 0.999 significance level that single-stream recycling contamination rates are higher and more spread out than dual-stream rates. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known #### In a Hinkley Center study, none of the 266 tested old-newsprint (ONP) samples met paper mill quality standard… Id: claim_ed3d281cd902b8e0af512895 Parent: claim_33a5b1aa29cdf1ca78a33f22 Depth: 2 In a Hinkley Center study, none of the 266 tested old-newsprint (ONP) samples met paper mill quality standards due to contamination. Labels: Inferred, Low, known #### In 2021, the City of Houston stated that over 35% of the material collected in its curbside single-stream rec… Id: claim_f7f7d1173f14c1430ecb9f28 Parent: section_3444dc5353b0b21066f2289e Depth: 2 In 2021, the City of Houston stated that over 35% of the material collected in its curbside single-stream recycling program was contamination. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known ##### Houston single-stream audits recorded contamination rates of 17.6% in March 2013, 18.2% in January 2014, 22.8… Id: claim_2a63e20ddcf9b976ebf3afc7 Parent: claim_f7f7d1173f14c1430ecb9f28 Depth: 3 Houston single-stream audits recorded contamination rates of 17.6% in March 2013, 18.2% in January 2014, 22.8% in January 2016, 26.5% in April 2016, 29.1% in July 2016, and 24.9% in October 2016. Labels: Inferred, Low, known ##### Miami-Dade County enacted a contamination ordinance in April 2023 with enforcement starting in 2024, permitti… Id: claim_d68732f53ec7b1f00c15d381 Parent: claim_10a0201ed852576c63523a6a Depth: 3 Miami-Dade County enacted a contamination ordinance in April 2023 with enforcement starting in 2024, permitting inspectors to open curbside carts and tag noncompliant recycling. Labels: Source-linked, Low, known