Municipal Recycling

SEATTLE REPORTS INCREASE IN RECYCLING

According to the city of Seattle, its recycling ordinance, which prohibits recyclables from being disposed of as trash, is helping to increase diversion.

From Jan. 1 to June 30, approximately 95 percent of the apartments and businesses the city inspected were recycling correctly, the city reports. Of the approximately 3.9 million household garbage cans collected, only 892 were left behind for containing more than 10 percent recyclables.

Out of 5,252 apartment and condominium inspections, 297 received first-time warning notices for having too many recyclables in their garbage, and 29 received second notices. Only 19 out of 898 inspected businesses have received a warning notice, and none have received a second notice.

The city charges businesses, apartments and condominiums a $50 fine upon the third infraction.

"Thanks to the citizens of Seattle, we are recycling more and throwing away less," Mayor Greg Nickels says. "This is a key step in becoming a truly sustainable city."

The recycling ordinance, which the Seattle City Council passed in November of 2003, was part of Mayor Greg Nickels’ 60 percent Recycling Plan, which includes several new city recycling programs to help the city reach its goal of recycling 60 percent of all its waste by 2010.

The city of Seattle was recently honored by the Solid Waste Association of North America with two Excellence Awards for public education and communications. In April, the American Forest & Paper Association named the city its 2006 "Community Recycler of the Year."

Despite the population growth that Pasco County, Fla., is experiencing, the city’s participation rate for curbside recycling is headed in the opposite direction. The community is seeking to reverse that trend by joining the Aluminum Can Council’s Curbside Value Partnership.

According to the U.S. Census, Pasco County’s population increased by 24.5 percent from 2000 to 2005, far above the national average of 5.3 percent. Despite this growth, Pasco has seen a decline in curbside recycling participation.

In an effort to reverse the declining participation, the county began a pilot program to compare blue-bag with two-bin curbside recycling collection systems in August. The pilot is also looking at whether enhancing communications to residents increases participation rates.

Paper has also been added to materials accepted for curbside pickup. The material was not accepted previously in light of its weight.

Under the pilot, a portion of Meadow Pointe, a suburban Tampa community, has been divided into two routes. Route A received two free rigid bins for their recyclables, which are collected weekly. Route B received free blue bags, which are also collected weekly.

"The data secured from this pilot will not only be useful to Pasco County, but also to other curbside programs nationwide," Steve Thompson, director of recycling initiatives for the Aluminum Can Council, says. "Our studies have shown that participation rates among blue-bag programs can be dismal—averaging around 12 percent—compared to 41 percent for single stream and 22 percent for dual stream. We hope to use this data to show other communities that container choice can affect participation."

The three-month pilot concludes in mid-October, and data will be collected in November. Public results are expected in December.

The Curbside Value Partnership is a program of the Aluminum Can Council, which is a partnership between the Aluminum Association and the Can Manufacturers Institute.

More information is available at www.RecycleCurbside.org.

The National Recycling Coalition (NRC) Annual Congress will feature nearly 40 different educational sessions divided into the following four tracks: "Discussions and Debates," "How-To’s on Hot Topics," "Renewing Recycling" and "Success Stories."

The recently announced schedule for the event, which is Oct. 22-25 at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta, includes sessions that begin Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 23, and conclude the mid-morning of Wednesday, Oct. 25.

Session titles include:

In addition to the educational sessions spread throughout the three days, the NRC Congress will also feature optional tours of north Georgia recycling facilities and tourist destinations, an exhibit hall, several receptions and the annual softball game.

Those interested in registering for the NRC Annual Congress can download a registration form at www.RecyclingConference.org.