Your Recycling Might Still End Up in the Trash | Macon News

Macon Georgia News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 17, 2026 · 2m

Your carefully sorted recyclables might still end up in the landfill—here’s why: a Macon resident watched her clean cans and bottles get dumped with trash, sparking outrage over a broken system. Ryland Environmental admits contamination and facility capacity issues often force recycling trucks to dump loads with regular garbage. With global markets shifting, single-stream recycling causing more contamination, and Southeastern infrastructure lagging, recycling isn’t always profitable or feasible. But hope? A local company turns plastic waste into fuel pellets for cement plants—though…