BOISE, Idaho — Boise's plastic trash could soon be used to power cement manufacturing. In 2019, China stopped accepting the bags involved in the orange bag program, which is aimed at recycling plastics.
The effort has now hit a series of hurdles. For months, the bags have been piling up at a Salt Lake City-based company. That company is experiencing delays in upgrading its equipment to process the plastic.
Now, the city is exploring back-up options. Due to the level of contamination in the orange bags, the city says the only option right now is to sell the trash to be burned as fuel for the cement industry.
Boise is currently awaiting an environmental analysis of that process before making a final decision. The city is also exploring ways to cut down on plastic waste in the first place.
