Dallas Law Will Affect Company’s Many Paper Recycling Bins

Public recycling bins in residential neighborhoods soon must be hidden behind screens and emptied at least once a week, the Dallas City Council decided Wednesday in passing a new ordinance, according to an article in the Dallas Morning New.

The vote will most notably affect AbitibiBowater, a commercial paper company that manages 562 green-and-yellow "paper retriever" recycling bins located mainly in Dallas school, church and business parking lots.

Company officials say the council's decision, which takes effect Dec. 31, may prompt them to scale back the number of recycling bins within Dallas.

As it is, the ordinance allows only two recycling bins to be placed in a single location – AbitibiBowater today manages up to six bins within a single lot.

"The city is basically telling us how to run our business. It will make it difficult for us to keep as many bins as we have now," says Sylvain Longval, vice president of recycling in North America for AbitibiBowater, adding that Dallas recycling rates may decrease.

Council members argued, however, that they had no choice but to place restrictions on the bins, expressing concerns that some AbitibiBowater containers look shabby and that the company fails to empty them regularly, causing unsightly paper waste to accumulate.

"This is simply a matter of keeping the curb appeal of our city good and keeping the city clean," says Council Member Ron Natinsky.

The ordinance calls for a fine of up to $2,000 for any violation.

Dallas' new law will also apply to city-sponsored recycling receptacles, which this year will become more numerous with the addition of dozens of new public receptacles that accept not only paper, but plastics and other recyclables as well.

AbitibiBowater, which is one of The Dallas Morning News' newsprint suppliers, offers owners of the sites where it places its bins up to $20 per ton of paper collected. Numerous schools and churches rely on the money to supplement their budgets.

This story was reported by Dave Levinthal/Dallas Morning News.