It sounds like a win-win scenario for city leaders and citizens: a process that would collect all waste and recycling in one bin, then send it to a facility where recyclables would be sorted from residential waste using high-tech robotics and AI technologies.

Recyclables would be processed, while some of the remaining waste would be converted into alternative energy to power cars or office buildings, saving cities money and landfill space.

Households would no longer need to sort their waste from their recyclables, and communities would have fewer trucks on the road.

The process is called “mixed waste processing” or “one-bin collection.”

The process emerged on the scene in the mid-2000’s, and while there are some success stories, it has proven to be a poor and costly solution for larger cities like Chesapeake where the recycling participation rate is high.

Studies show that while the collection rate is higher with a mixed-waste solution, the contamination rate is also much higher, and the net recycled material is much lower.

Yet, for the last two years, Chesapeake City Leaders have been using the concept to “kick the recycling can down the road” as political cover.