Cape to end recycling of plastic bags due to decision in China

The City of Cape Girardeau will no longer accept plastic shopping and garbage bags and newspaper sleeves, assistant public works director Stan Polivick said Monday.

Polivick said there is no longer a market for such thin plastic materials.

�The overall, worldwide market for recyclables has changed dramatically,� he said.

Residents should no longer put these plastic items in their recycling containers for curbside pickup, he said. They also should not drop off such items at the city�s recycling center, he advised.

But plastic containers such as milk jugs and water bottles still will be accepted, he said.

The change is largely the result of a decision by China to not accept plastic bags anymore, according to Polivick.

Plastic recyclables sit in a bin Monday at the Cape Girardeau Public Works Department.Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian

Republic Services, a private firm, has a contract with the city. The company hauls the city�s recycled trash to its recycling facility near St. Louis, where the various materials are sorted and subsequently sold to buyers.

�It is costing them (Republic) money because China won�t take it,� Polivick said.

He advised residents to place their plastic bags in their regular trash containers. Those items now will end up in a commercial landfill where regular trash is buried.

While that is a not a good situation for the environment, Polivick said the city has no other choice.

Residents who still wish to recycle plastic bags can drop them off at Walmart stores, but Polivick said he doesn�t know how long the company will accept them.

The city plans to mail a notice to residents informing them of the new recycling rules, Polivick said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(5783) 388-3641