Community-Based Recycling Center Re-Opens in North Coventry
Fall 2023
Brown, clear, and green glass are separated and crushed on site and transported to Cap Glass in Allentown for further processing.
RSI collects materials that would not be recyclable through curbside collection, including metals like brass, copper, coated wire, and stainless steel.Â
Patrons separate their plastics by number and color.
Residents of northern Chester County and Pottstown now have a new way to recycle with the re-opening of Recycling Services, Inc., or RSI for short. RSI opened its doors to the public on October 21 after a hiatus of a few years. This non-profit community-based recycling drop-off center is run entirely by volunteer recycling enthusiasts and aims to not only offer recycling services but also to educate patrons about recycling, responsibility, and sustainability.
Located in North Coventry Township, recyclers can drop by one Saturday per month (see their website for monthly drop-off dates) to sort and dispose of recyclable items. RSI uses a separated recycling stream, meaning there are separate collection bins for each material, as opposed to single-stream recycling that is typical of curbside collection where all materials are comingled. Separate streams reduce contamination, which increases the value of materials as well as their ability to be recycled. The revenue generated from selling the materials, in combination with the small fee charged to recyclers, covers the expenses of the small non-profit organization.
Those who tend to use RSI are typically those without curbside recycling service or those who want to make sure as much of their recyclables are being recycled as possible. Typical material recovery facilities (where recyclables collected curbside go to be sorted) are designed to sort containers — items larger (like a steel lawn mower blade) or smaller (like a bottle cap) might not end up being recycled. RSI accepts more materials than what is typically collected curb-side because they sort, collect, and bale materials themselves. Additionally, because RSI is a non-profit it does not require the profit margins that for-profit companies may.
RSI also creates a sense of community: on monthly drop-off days, recyclers stop by and chat with RSI's knowledgeable volunteers to learn about recycling and where their recyclables will end up. RSI volunteers have identified local markets for each of the materials they collect. For example, mixed paper goes to United States Recycling where it is recycled into paperboard at an onsite paper mill, and glass is sent to Cap Glass in Allentown that further cleans and crushes the glass and markets it for use in other products.
In addition to their main function as a recycling center, RSI volunteers want to restore and steward the natural parts of the property not used for recycling activities. They hope to install a pollinator garden in the spring and restore a small wooded area that could be used for informal picnics after a family outing to the recycling center.
To learn more about RSI and what materials they accept, check out their website.