Municipal Recycling News

ALBERTA SHIFTS BOTTLE RECYCLING COSTS

Alberta residents will be paying more for wine, spirits and other alcoholic beverages as the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission ends its annual $3.3 million recycling subsidy.

Recycling fees will instead be collected at the wholesale level from beverage manufacturers. Rates of about four cents per can to seven cents for glass wine and spirit bottles will be implemented. Domestic beer brewed in Alberta will be exempt from the fees because that industry segment maintains its own recycling system.

PAPER RECYCLING PROGRAM RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD

Ocean County, N.J., has received an award from the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA), Washington, for the Best Paper Recycling Program. The county’s recycling program received the national award based on population, volume, quantity, innovation and public outreach. The county was nominated by Garden State Paper, Elmwood Park, N.J., a maker of recycled newsprint. The county also recently received four awards from the State of New Jersey.

MAINE IMPLEMENTS NEW SORTING PROGRAM

Southern Maine residents recycling at Regional Waste System drop-off sites can now place plastic bottles, metal cans, glass and aluminum in the same bin instead of sorting the materials. Paper items must still be placed in a separate bin. Also, #1 PET and #2 HDPE bottles were recently added to the materials collected.

“These changes will make it easier for residents to recycle and allow RWS to process even more recyclables,” says Dale Olmstead, chair of the RWS board of directors.

New signs have been placed at all RWS containers notifying residents of the change in sorting methods. The installation of new sorting equipment at RWS facilities made commingled collection at RWS sites possible.

MARYLAND SETS RECYCLING GOALS

A voluntary statewide diversion goal of 40% by 2005 has been passed by the Maryland House and Senate, and a mandatory 15% to 20% rate has to be maintained.

“The great state of Maryland has surpassed its previous goal of 25% by a good bit and it certainly makes sense to take a progressive step 10 years later,” says Maryland Recyclers Coalition president John Brunner. “This recycling resolution was favorably viewed because of the efforts of many people and it embodies a goal that has been on our agenda for a few years.”

The bill also provides for a 5% source reduction credit for county efforts that prevent waste.

The Maryland Recyclers Coalition has also released the Training Manual on Recycling Contracts, prepared by the Northeast Maryland Waste Disposal Authority and the Maryland Environmental Service. The 22-page guide is available for $10 and is designed to assist generators of recyclable materials in developing contacts to process and market their materials. For information, contact the MRC at (410) 974-4472 or onthe Web at www.marylandrecyclers.org.

RHODE ISLAND ASSUMES MRF COMMAND

The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp. (RIRRC) has assumed responsibility for the daily management of its MRF located in Johnstown, R.I. RIRRC is the quasi-state agency that is responsible for the management of Rhode Island’s solid waste.

“We appreciate and acknowledge the decade of excellent management provided by Waste Management Inc.,” says A. Austin Ferland, RIRRC’s chairman and CEO. “Since Resource Recovery will be providing the same quality service to which our customers are familiar with, the transition will be seamless and unnoticeable.”

Ferland says the takeover is consistent with the corporation’s desire to control all operations and that a cost savings should be realized with the elimination of a vendor’s profit margin.

The Johnston MRF serves 26 curbside and 12 drop-off programs, processing 550 tons per day.

NEW HAMPSHIRE TURNS DOWN TRASH TAX

A senate bill creating a surcharge on solid waste that was supported by the New Hampshire Department of Environ-mental Services (DES) has been voted down by the New Hampshire Senate.

As drafted and proposed by State Senator Richard Russman, Senate Bill 411 would have levied a surcharge of $5 per ton on both in-state and out-of-state trash. The money collected from the waste tax would have been used for the creation of public facilities, new recycling markets and grants. An estimated $7.5 million would have been raised each year from the surcharge.

The State Senate is still considering a con-current resolution (SCR 7) that urges the federal govern-ment to consider the impact on New Hampshire and other small states of interstate waste regulation and flow control.

It is uncertain whether a similar bill will again be introduced next legislative session.

CHANGES IN RECYCLING PROGRAM FOR LEXINGTON RESIDENTS

The Urban County Government has planned changes in its recycling programs over the next four years. The new system is aimed at making recycling easier to do.

The new program will feature commingled collection, with all materials except glass being combined into one container. Recycling carts will be replaced with 65-gallon carts that have one subcompartment for glass. Contamination due to glass is why the material is being separated.

"The reasons for changing the process for recycling is because studies have shown that recycling rates significantly increase when the separation requirements are decreased," says Steve Feese, recycling coordinator for the city.

The first step in changing the program will be implementing a $5.5 million expansion of the recycling facility that will enhance separation techniques and will accommodate the commingled collection. The new facility will be able to process 31,000 tons of materials a year.

About 10,000 carts will be converted each year and the recycling center expansion is expected to be completed in Spring 2001. Implementation will be gradual, over a four-year period.

CALIFORNIA PUMPS UP RECYCLING PROGRAM

About 2 billion aluminum, glass and plastic containers are thrown away instead of being recycled in California, the Department of Conservation (DOC) reports. That equals about $50 billion in unclaimed California Refund Value (CRV) deposits of 2.5 cents per beverage container. To increase recycling in the state, the DOC is launching an aggressive effort to add more than 2,000 certified CRV recycling centers throughout the state. Bins will be placed at gas stations, beaches and car washes in an attempt to collect more recyclables.

California's recycling rate dropped to 74% last year, down from a high in 1992 of 82%. The drop is attributed to a change in Californians lifestyle. "More and more Californians are consuming their soft drinks 'on the go' and tossing them in the trash instead of the recycling bin," says Darryl Young, director of the DOC.

In January, California expanded its beverage container recycling program to include about 2 billion new containers. Water and sports drinks bottles were two materials added to the list of materials accepted. Young says that businesses could play a large role in increasing the recycling rates by encouraging employees to recycle.

Young says part of the problem has been lack of public education on the new materials accepted and the year-long grace period bottles were given before they had to publicize the CRV on all of their beverages. Almost all beverage containers are recyclable under the new program. Exclusions include milk containers, infant formula, distilled spirits, wine, 100% fruit juice 46 oz. and larger containers and refillables. A $10 million social marketing campaign will soon begin to make people more aware of what materials can be recycled and redeemed. The states long-term goal is to raise the recycling rate to 80%.

FREE COMPUTER RECYCLING OFFERED

San Francisco residents and small businesses can take advantage of a free recycling service to recycle computers being offered by eight area computer stores and four computer recyclers.

The National Safety Council, Itasca, Ill., says 31.6 million PCs will become obsolete this year and another 63.4 million will become obsolete by 2005. Only 14% of obsolete computers were recycled in 1998.

Residents and small businesses can drop off computers and peripherals and the computers will be reused, upgraded or recycled for components. For more information on the program, including large businesses interested in recycling, contact the San Francisco Recycling Program at (415) 554-3400.

CURBSIDE PROGRAM ADDED IN WACO

A weekly curbside recycling program has been approved in Waco, Texas, that will collect from about 32,000 households. The program is feasible because of a reduction in the car-based garbage collection from twice a week to once a week. Materials collected include newspaper, magazines and boxboard. To promote the new service, Debbie Branch, City of Waco Recycling Coordinator, is working with local grocers to print "Paper Recycling is in the Bag" on paper grocery bags.