PHILADELPHIA STREAMLINES RECYCLING PROGRAM
Beginning in July, the city of Philadelphia launched its single-stream curbside recycling program.
Approximately 125,000 residents of Northeast Philadelphia are now commingling their recyclables in one container. Additionally, old corrugated containers and No. 1 and No. 2 plastic have been added to the materials collected in the neighborhood.
Previously, the city’s Streets Department collected recyclables including steel and aluminum cans, glass jars and bottles and mixed paper items.
Residents of the neighborhood are asked to continue using their blue recycling bins for curbside collection.
The city hopes to expand the program to include all of Philadelphia, though a time line for such an expansion has not yet been determined.
In celebration of the new curbside recycling program, the city unveiled a new collection truck that was painted by the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program.
OHIO AWARDS $3 MILLION IN GRANTS
Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources has announced the recipients of nearly $3 million in grant money earmarked for communities and businesses to boost recycling and support litter collection.
The grants, awarded annually, are given by the agency’s Division of Recycling & Litter Prevention. Businesses must partner with their local city, county or solid waste authority to be eligible for funding. All the grants require matching funds.
Some of the notable grant recipients this year include:
• The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio and The Grossman Group of Columbus received $240,000 to purchase equipment that processes corrugated cardboard. The company expects to recycle 42,000 additional tons per year with the equipment and will provide at least $240,000 in matching funds.
• Southeastern Ohio Joint Solid Waste Management District received $24,000 to cover the cost of contracting for obsolete electronics collection services in a six-county region. This project will provide electronics recycling to a predominately rural area. The district will provide at least $12,000 in matching funds.
• Brown County Solid Waste Management Authority and Adams-Brown Recycling of Georgetown received $206,000 to create a sorting system and purchase equipment to increase the capacity to process multiple grades of fiber-based material, including cardboard. The company expects to process 2,300 tons of recycled material annually. Two new jobs will be created through this project, and the organizations will provide at least $206,000 in matching funds.
• Summit-Akron Solid Waste Management Authority received $20,000 to purchase recycling containers for a new initiative at the Blossom Music Center titled "Recycling in Concert." The project will be a model for plastic recycling programs at other entertainment venues. The authority will provide at least $10,000 in matching funds.
DELAWARE AWARDS GRANTS
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the Governor’s Recycling Public Advisory Council have awarded a total of $50,000 in Recycling Assistance Grants for fiscal year 2006.
The city of Wilmington received a grant of nearly $25,000 to help cover costs associated with implementing a pilot curbside recycling program serving nearly 8,000 households. The city is partnering with RecycleBank, a Philadelphia company that has developed an innovative incentive program that rewards people for recycling. The program is designed for convenience and uses single-stream collection. If the pilot is successful, the city will expand the program to all its residents.
Grant recipients also include:
• The University of Delaware, which received $15,000 to conduct composting education in schools and other group settings;
• Delaware Academy of Science/Iron Hill Museum, which received $5,400 to conduct recycling outreach in elementary schools;
• Mt. Pleasant Band Boosters Association, which received $3,000 to expand its aluminum recycling program; and
•Middletown High School, which received $2,200 to implement a paper recycling program at the school.
Recipients of Recycling Assistance Grants must provide matching funds of at least 25 percent of total project costs in cash or in-kind contributions. Funding is subject to annual authorization by the Delaware General Assembly.
Explore the August 2006 Issue
Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.
Latest from Recycling Today
- ReElement, Posco partner to develop rare earth, magnet supply chain
- Comau to take part in EU’s Reinforce project
- Sustainable packaging: How do we get there?
- ReMA accepts Lifetime Achievement nominations
- ExxonMobil will add to chemical recycling capacity
- ESAB unveils new cutting torch models
- Celsa UK assets sold to Czech investment fund
- EPA releases ‘National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution’
