Dive Brief:
- A single-stream recycling system helped drive recycling rates.
- Public Works Director Mark Cotter said the business community helped increase the rate by adopting new practices. He sited two particular instances. When a street was widened, concrete that normally would be hauled away was crushed on site and used for the base. Storm-damaged shingles were heated and then blended in with asphalt used on roads.
- In addition to the public awareness efforts, the city plans to enforce its requirements for haulers to increase the rate in 2015. Waste companies must meet 80% of the city’s recycling goal, or will be hit with a fine.
Dive Insight:
The big winners here are the taxpayers and garbage haulers. By 2067 the landfill is expected to be filled. With almost a quarter of waste being recycled, the life of the landfill could be extended. Jessica Lantgen, the city’s Sustainability Coordinator, plans to increase the rate by expanding its educational outreach. According to Lantgen, enrolling a greater number of schools and apartment complexes in a recycling program could keep the rate growing steadily.