As area population grows, recycling rate falls

More materials that could have been reused are ending up in landfill

About a quarter of all waste going to the Sioux Falls Regional Sanitary Landfill could have been diverted or recycled, the results of a new study found, pointing to a problem that could prove costly.

Most of that material included items that, by ordinance, are already required to be recycled — items that include paper, glass, cardboard and some plastics. The study, conducted by HDR Engineering Inc., was based on two waste characterization inspections of 20,000 pounds of landfilled material. The study analyzed waste sorts that were conducted in October of last year and in May.

The results were compared to similar studies in 2006 and 2016.

They show that the city is treading water and even backsliding when it comes to managing waste.

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