Alexei Volkov
Tucson Clean & Beautiful is a non-profit organization that collects plastic bags for recycling. The city of Tucson has also partnered with ByFusion to collect and transform unrecyclable plastics. The waste is collected in a bright orange container at the back of the building and is then picked up by the city's Environmental Services trucks. The city has also added two more drop-off sites at the Ward 4 office and Fire Station 15.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Company | ByFusion |
| Partner | Tucson's Ward 6 |
| Collection method | Bright orange 22 cubic-yard container at the back of the building |
| Pickup | City's Environmental Services trucks |
| Drop-off sites | Ward 4 office at 8123 E Poinciana Drive, Fire Station 15 at 2002 S Mission Road, Los Reales facility |
| Plastic types | Unrecyclable plastics numbered 3 through 7 |
| Plastic types | PET and HDPE |
| Plastic types | Plastic bags |
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What You'll Learn
Tucson Clean & Beautiful
One of the companies listed in the directory is R.U.M.B.A., which stands for "Reused Materials Become Art." They host a showcase and competition at the Children's Museum in Tucson on Earth Day.
Another initiative in Tucson is the Plastic Waste Diversion program, which is a partnership between the city and ByFusion. This program collects unrecyclable plastics, which are then transformed into building blocks. The program has been successful in keeping around 90 tons of plastic out of landfills. The city has also partnered with Tank's Speedway Recycling and Landfill, which bales the waste into large loads and ships it to California for processing.
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ByFusion's recycling program
ByFusion has partnered with Tucson's Ward 6 to collect and transform unrecyclable plastics. The ByFusions recycling program aims to divert plastics from landfills and transform them into new products. The program collects plastics numbered 3 through 7, which are considered hard-to-recycle and cannot be placed in the blue bin. These plastics are given a second life as they are transformed into building blocks.
The process begins with the collection of unrecyclable plastics in a bright orange 22-cubic-yard container at designated drop-off sites. The city's Environmental Services trucks then empty these containers at Tank's Speedway Recycling and Landfill. Tank's plays a crucial role by baling the waste into 12-ton loads, which are shipped to California. ByFusion initially processed the plastic waste in California to create blocks. However, with the expansion of the program, the company will now build a facility in Tucson at the Los Reales Sustainability Campus. Here, they will operate a Blocker machine, specifically a Micro Diversion Platform, to continue their plastic transformation process locally.
The ByFusions recycling program has been a successful initiative, with Tucson's vice mayor and Ward 6 councilmember, Steve Kozachik, reporting that the pilot program converted approximately 90 tons of unrecyclable plastics into building blocks. This success has led to the addition of two more drop-off sites at the Ward 4 office and Fire Station 15. The program has also received recognition from the Zero Waste group at Sustainable Tucson, a local grassroots nonprofit, for its efforts to reduce landfill waste.
The city of Tucson has shown its commitment to the program by investing $1 million in the contract with ByFusion and allocating an additional $2.4 million to build the facility at Los Reales Sustainability Campus. This facility will enable ByFusion to operate locally and potentially offer curbside pickup services to residents in the future. The program not only addresses the issue of plastic waste but also intends to utilize the transformed plastic for various construction projects. These projects include building a perimeter wall at the University of Arizona, expanding the Sister José Women's Center, constructing a tack room at Therapeutic Riding of Tucson, and creating new park benches.
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Recycling plastic bottles
Plastic bottles are among the easiest items to recycle in Tucson. The city of Tucson says it is better to leave the lids on plastic bottles when recycling them. Most lids are small enough to fall through the machinery, so leaving them on helps keep the machinery running. The bottles should be empty, clean, and dry.
Plastic bottles with liquid left in them are considered contaminated and will be sent to the landfill. Other contaminants include food particles left in containers, oily pizza boxes, dirty soup cans, and lunch takeout containers that weren't washed.
Tucson offers a Plastic Waste Diversion program with several drop-off locations for unrecyclable plastics, including plastics numbered 3 through 7, which cannot go into the blue bin. The drop-off sites include the Ward 4 office, Fire Station 15, and the Los Reales facility. The city has partnered with ByFusion to collect and transform these unrecyclable plastics into building blocks.
Additionally, some local organizations, such as Tucson Clean & Beautiful, also play a role in promoting recycling and environmental stewardship in the community. They provide a recycling directory and other resources to help residents and businesses recycle effectively.
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Drop-off locations
Tucson has a few drop-off locations for recycling plastic waste. The city has partnered with ByFusion to collect and transform unrecyclable plastics. The waste is collected in a bright orange 22-cubic-yard container at the back of the building of the Ward 6 office and is then picked up by the city's Environmental Services trucks. The program has expanded to include two more drop-off sites: the Ward 4 office at 8123 E Poinciana Drive and Fire Station 15 at 2002 S Mission Road. These sites accept residents' unrecyclable plastics, along with the Los Reales facility, which is awaiting the arrival of a blocker machine.
The blocker machine, or Micro Diversion Platform, is a crucial component of Tucson's plastic recycling efforts. It uses steam and compression to produce 22-pound blocks from unrecyclable plastics without the need for sorting or cleaning. This technology addresses the challenges of traditional plastic recycling, where contamination with food scraps or other residues can render entire loads unrecyclable.
The plastic waste collected through these drop-off locations is not only diverted from landfills but also transformed into new products. Initially, the waste was sent to Los Angeles to create blocks, which Tucson plans to use for various construction projects. With the expansion of the program and the new agreement with ByFusion, the company will operate a blocker machine at the Los Reales Sustainability Campus.
The Plastic Waste Diversion program in Tucson has been a success, with Councilmember Steve Kozachik leading the initiative to recycle and reuse plastics that cannot go into the blue bins. The program recommends consolidating non-recyclable plastics into a clear plastic bag before dropping them off at the designated locations, which have orange containers marked 'Plastic Only'.
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Curbside collection
The city of Tucson has partnered with ByFusion to collect and transform unrecyclable plastics. The waste is collected in a bright orange 22-cubic-yard container at designated drop-off sites and is then picked up by the city's Environmental Services trucks. While this service does not yet include curbside pickup, there are plans to potentially offer this service to residents in the future.
The Plastic Waste Diversion program has multiple drop-off locations across the city, including the Ward 4 office, Fire Station 15, and the Los Reales facility. These sites are easily identifiable by their orange containers marked 'Plastic Only'. It is recommended that residents consolidate their non-recyclable plastics into a clear plastic bag before dropping them off at these locations.
Additionally, Tucson Clean & Beautiful, a non-profit organization, also collects plastic bags for recycling. Residents can contact their nearest store for more information on their plastic bag recycling initiatives.
It is important to note that the city of Tucson is actively working to improve its plastic recycling capabilities and divert plastics from landfills. The city has expressed interest in piloting reusable and refillable container systems and investing in Zero Waste education to promote more sustainable practices.
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Frequently asked questions
Tucson Clean & Beautiful collects plastic bags for recycling. Contact your nearest store for more details.
The city of Tucson has a contract with ByFusion to recycle unrecyclable plastics. The waste is collected in a bright orange 22 cubic-yard container at the back of the building. There are three drop-off locations for the Plastic Waste Diversion program.
The drop-off locations are the Ward 4 office at 8123 E Poinciana Drive, Fire Station 15 at 2002 S Mission Road, and Los Reales facility.
We do not have specific information on what happens to the plastic sacks after they are recycled by Tucson Clean & Beautiful. However, we know that recycled plastics can be used to create new products such as building blocks, as is the case with ByFusion's process.
Yes, the program accepts all plastics numbered 3 through 7 that cannot go into the blue bin.
