Dive Brief:
- Fairhope, AL, is attempting to improve its recycling numbers. However, the town has experienced challenges getting community members on board with recycling household materials.
- Out of a total of 6,600 Fairhope households, 3,081 reportedly recycle.
- Due to these numbers, Mayor Tim Kant announced the town plans to add single-stream recycling as an option for residential pick-ups.
Dive Insight:
The mayor believes a co-mingled option will appeal to more residents than the previous system of using three separate containers. The town has a new goal of reducing the volume of waste it delivers to the landfill. Council members are working with the town’s Recycling Committee to devise a viable plan for the community.
In a similar situation, Decatur, IL, recently touted its co-mingled recycling program as a success. The town implemented single-stream in 2011; since then, the recycling rate among residents shot up to 57% from a 12% rate before the program was offered.