Beyond the blue bin: Where recycling around Phoenix is REALLY going

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Wonder if the items you put in your blue bin actually get recycled? We did too! Arizona’s Family Investigates tracked your recyclables to find out.

We all know the benefits of recycling. But when we asked people if they believed the items they put in their blue bins were getting recycled, there was some healthy skepticism.

“If I was a betting man, I would bet my money on the landfill,” Russ Erickson, a Mesa homeowner, said.

“I hope it’s going to recycling. I really have a fear it’s going to end up in the landfill,” Deborah Siegfried, a Glendale homeowner, said.

Well, there’s only one sure way to find out and that’s where trackers come in. Arizona’s Family Investigates used Apple AirTags and put one in eight different plastic containers, mostly laundry detergent bottles.

Three homeowners in Phoenix and Glendale, and two in Mesa, let us put those containers in their recycling bins in January. “I can’t wait to see what happens,” Mesa homeowner Amanda White said.

Arizona’s Family Investigates watched and waited. “Two pounds of every three we throw away go to the landfill, about a pound gets recycled,” Dr. Raj Buch, the director of Circular Economy Practice at ASU, said.

He studies this and explains that for more than a decade, he’s worked with Phoenix to become more sustainable. “Ultimately, it’s going to be driven by economics,” Dr. Buch said.

He said our cardboard, plastic, aluminum and glass have value. If they’re collected and bundled, they can be sold, offsetting the expense of recycling. “We’ve imported all this material, why are we burying it? Why not create jobs? Why not attract industry?” Dr. Buch said.

Right now, he explained that those companies don’t exist in Arizona. That’s why, after being packaged, our recycling is sold off to companies in other states. That’s important to consider when you learn where the tags ended up.

Arizona’s Family Investigates tracked the two from Mesa to recycling plants in Tijuana, Mexico, and Vernon, California. “Well, at least it’s going somewhere, that’s important,” White said.

The three tags in Glendale, which were put in different neighborhoods, all ended up in a pit in their landfill. Glendale stresses they recycle, so how did that happen?

“It could be that either a load was contaminated, and it was sent down there. Unfortunately, being so long ago back in January, I can’t tell you which load it was,” Michael Carr, deputy director of field operations in Glendale, said.

Carr also offered a second explanation. “We recently had a fire in our facility, so once that material got wet, we had to dispose of that material,” he said.

“Oh wow, that’s disappointing,” Glendale homeowner Selena Flores said. “It seems a little fishy,”

In Phoenix, the results were mixed. One tag went to a transfer station and then pinged 60 miles away at Phoenix’s landfill in Buckeye.

“I would reckon that that material ended up in the landfill because of the different material makeups from the air tag to whatever it was stuck to being sorted into the wrong bin,” Amanda Jordan, the circular economy project manager for the city of Phoenix, said.

She explained AirTags are not recyclable and could contaminate their loads. “It was landfill, it was landfill. Oh, OK, wow, that’s a bummer,” Kristopher Soto, a Phoenix homeowner, said.

Another tracker never made it out of the transfer station. The third ended up all the way in Waterloo, Iowa. “Waterloo, Iowa, OK. That’s far,” Phoenix homeowner Denise Zambmora said. “It’s good because we take our time to recycle everything, so that’s good to hear,” she continued.

But does it actually benefit the environment to be transporting our recycling so far away? “It’s not a perfect system. It’s not the most ideal, but it’s certainly more environmentally beneficial to find pathways to reuse that material versus just burying it in the ground,” Jordan said.

As the system grows, the hope is that more companies that buy the Valley’s recycling will set up shop here. “It’s nice to hear that our city is doing their part and helping us do our part,” Ron Douglas, a Phoenix homeowner, said.

“I can now tell my husband that I was right. ‘Cause you know that’s what’s most important,” White said.

The City of Mesa declined Arizona’s Family Investigates’ requests for an interview. In response, they sent the following statement:

“The City of Mesa Solid Waste Department is committed to protecting the public health and environment through the safe and sanitary handling of solid waste. Each week, our team provides trash and recycling collection to more than 150,000 customers across a service area of nearly 140 square miles.

Effectively recycling materials—including sorting, processing, transporting, and marketing recyclables to manufacturers—requires specialized expertise and infrastructure. To achieve Mesa’s recycling objectives, we partner with experienced industry leaders such as Republic Services and Waste Connections. These partnerships were chosen based on geographic proximity, operational capacity, competitive costs, and a demonstrated commitment to achieving full waste circularity.

In recent years, significant efforts have been made to strengthen domestic recycling infrastructure. This approach helps reduce the transportation distance for recycled materials, ultimately shortening the path back to store shelves as new products. For more information about domestic recycling infrastructure and emerging market opportunities, we recommend speaking with recycling vendors that specialize in post-collection operations.”

Dr. Buch is working with the City of Phoenix and entrepreneurs on different ideas and systems that could ultimately help keep more of the Valley’s recycling in-state.

Ever wonder what a recycling facility looks like and how they manage to sort all the stuff that comes in? Arizona’s Family Investigates toured the one in North Phoenix to find out. There’s a lot more to it than you might think.

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