Municipal Recycling

Minneapolis has selected BFI to handle its curbside recycling program. The company had been collecting recyclables for the city under a contract that expired at the end of April.

The April 2 decision ended months of deliberations as the council weighed bids between BFI, Recycle America Alliance and local non-profit recycler Eureka Recycling.

A representative with the city of Minneapolis says the new contract was slated to begin May 1.

The Minneapolis City Council’s decision went counter to recommendations from consultants hired by the city and from the Public Works and Finance departments, which recommended that Recycle America Alliance receive the contract in light of its offer to stabilize the price for newspapers and aluminum cans, its facility layout and its operational readiness.

San Diego Gas & Electric has awarded Appliance Recycling Centers of America Inc. (ARCA), headquartered in Minneapolis, a contract to handle its appliance recycling program this year. ARCA expects to recycle 7,000 appliances under the contract.

Earlier this year ARCA entered into a contract with Southern California Edison Co. to handle recycling operations for California’s Residential Appliance Recycling Program. ARCA expects to recycle about 70,000 appliances yearly during this contract’s two-year term.

"The total annual recycling volumes under both new contracts will be more than twice the level that ARCA handled in 2003," Jack Cameron, ARCA president and CEO, says.

New York City’s residential recyclables collection program was expanded to once again include glass beginning April 1.

Additionally, New York City’s Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty announced the resumption of weekly recycling collection throughout the five boroughs.

"I feel that New Yorkers will continue to embrace the recycling program as they have in the past, and with a much better recycling processing plan than before the suspension in July 2002," Doherty says.

Residents can place glass bottles and jars in clear plastic bags or blue labeled containers along with aluminum foil, metal cans, plastic bottles and jugs, beverage cartons and juice boxes.

New York City residents have a 60-day moratorium from receiving summonses for not recycling glass bottles, jugs and jars.

Glass and plastic were suspended from the recycling program in July 2002 because of severe budget cuts. Plastic recycling returned in July 2003, but collection of recyclables was moved to alternate weeks.