Municipal Recycling

The second phase of the curbside recyclables collection program for Kansas City, Mo., began June 1. The first phase of the program began March 1 and covered roughly one-sixth of the city.

The second phase of the curbside program includes an additional one-sixth of the city. Phase three, which begins Sept. 1, includes one-third of the city, while phase four begins Dec. 1 and encompasses the final third of the city.

"With the success of Phase 1 behind us, we look forward to bringing curbside recycling to residents in phase two of the program," John Stufflebean, director of the Department of Environmental Management, says. "Bridging the Gap has been conducting informational presentations in the phase two neighborhoods and reports positive feedback from the residents," he adds. Bridging the Gap is a non-profit organization under contract with the city to lead the RecycleFIRST neighborhood educational outreach effort.

Residents in phase two received a mailing in late May, including a coupon that could be exchanged for a free recycling bin at select Westlake Ace Hardware and Price Chopper stores. The packet also contained information about how the recycling program works and provided the date of the first recycling collection at the new addresses.

The total amount of recyclable material collected was 195,000 pounds in cycle one (a cycle is a two-week period) and 318,000 pounds in cycle six. Stufflebean says this amount was better than expected and is steadily increasing. He adds that participation has been exceptional, with roughly 50 percent of houses participating on average.

The amount of recyclable materials per participating household is averaging more than 30 pounds. The city’s recycling contractor Deffenbaugh reports that the materials are clean and free of contaminants, though residents have mistakenly included plastic grocery bags, which are not accepted in the program.

Residents are permitted two trash bags without tags weekly. Each additional bag requires a trash tag that can be purchased for $1 at participating stores. In the first cycle of phase one, about 7 percent of the households placed more than two bags out without a trash tag. In the sixth cycle, this has been reduced to about 1 percent.

R.W. Beck Inc., a management consulting and engineering firm headquartered in Orlando, is working with New York City on a multi-year project to study the city’s solid waste composition to better plan for its future waste management needs.

Jonathan Burgiel, national director of Solid Waste Services for R. W. Beck, says, "We will use our extensive knowledge of waste characterization to provide city leaders with the data to make accurate decisions on how to best manage the city’s waste stream in the future. We have an aggressive schedule, but I am confident that we will be able to assist the Department of Sanitation with its future planning efforts."

The project, which is expected to end in 2007, aims to determine the city’s current recycling rate and whether additional materials can be economically diverted for recovery.