Recycling rate dips in Washington State.According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. data collected by the Washington State Department of Ecology ecology, study of the relationships of organisms to their physical environment and to one another. The study of an individual organism or a single species is termed autecology; the study of groups of organisms is called synecology. , the state's official recycling recycling, the process of recovering and reusing waste products—from household use, manufacturing, agriculture, and business—and thereby reducing their burden on the environment. rate, as it is currently defined, fell to 35 percent, down 2 percent from 2001. The "official" rate does not take all materials into consideration. The reduction is attributed to a decrease in the amount glass, paper and yard debris recycled by citizens and industry. The official recycling rate is based on a required definition set forth in state law, which specifies the types of recycling to be tracked for certain types of waste. It includes most recycling of glass, plastic, paper and metals, and some recycling of tires and used oil. However, other types of re-use and recycling are occurring that also ease the pressure on landfill, including land-clearing debris, asphalt asphalt (ăs`fôlt, –fălt), brownish-black substance used commonly in road making, roofing, and waterproofing. Chemically, it is a natural mixture of hydrocarbons. , concrete, carpet and pads, furniture, construction and demolition debris, mattresses, batteries, ash, oil filters, paint and clothing. The Ecology Department found that if the diverted di·vert v. di·vert·ed, di·vert·ing, di·verts v.tr. 1. To turn aside from a course or direction: Traffic was diverted around the scene of the accident. 2. materials not used in the recycling definition were included, the statewide rate would be roughly 45 percent. "It's disappointing that the rate has fallen for some of our key indicators, but in general we feel encouraged by what we're seeing," Cullen Stephenson, who manages the department's solid-waste program, says. "Construction and demolition materials represent a significant amount of waste, so it's great to see businesses going to greater efforts to re-use and recycle re·cy·cle tr.v. re·cy·cled, re·cy·cling, re·cy·cles 1. To put or pass through a cycle again, as for further treatment. 2. To start a different cycle in. 3. a. those resources--even if we can't account for it in the overall recycling rate." |
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