In response to China's recent policies restricting the amount of contamination in recyclables it accepts, Coos County has reduced its contamination in its recycling by 85 percent in just two months.

Cleaner recycling materials have opened up new market opportunities in countries like India and Vietnam. In some cases recyclables have become clean enough to be sold in domestic markets. Waste Connections site manager Bill Richardson says they have started selling corrugated cardboard from Coos County as well as other areas to Georgia Pacific in Toledo, Oregon.

Although Waste Connections continues to have contamination issues with commercial recycling, residential recycling customers have adapted extremely well to the stricter standards.

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