Roanoke launches 'Recycle Right' pilot program, aims to stop recycling contamination
ROANOKE, Va. (WSET) — The City of Roanoke’s Solid Waste Division, Office of Sustainability, and Recycling Disposal Solutions (RDS) will pilot a program in the Belmont-Fallon neighborhood to increase recycling knowledge and decrease recycling contamination.
The Recycle Right Pilot Program is a recycling contamination reduction effort modeled after The Recycling Partnership’s successful and effective ‘Feet on the Street Program’ to improve the recycling system in our community. The program combines recycling education and recycling inspection at the curb to help drive positive behavior change and improve people's understanding of what to recycle and what causes contamination. It will also help ensure the long-term success and sustainability of the recycling system while reducing costs for the city and taxpayers.
Recycling can be confusing, so the City of Roanoke wants to provide hands-on information on how to recycle right so that we can help our residents, our city, and our environment. The Recycling Partnership has worked with many communities around the country and found that cart tagging and rejection are 2x more effective than education alone in reducing contamination.
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"Proper curbside recycling remains near and dear to residents and businesses in the City of Roanoke. Contaminated recycling carts negatively impact the environment and result in increased material processing costs. This collaborative effort between the Office of Sustainability, RDS, and the Solid Waste Division to evaluate contamination levels within recycling carts will help direct future decisions on targeted recycling education efforts and establish which items are acceptable for collection to maximize the full recovery value of the item," Bryan Haynesworth, solid waster manager for Roanoke said.
Globally and locally, contamination is a major issue of concern. Contamination occurs when garbage and non-recyclable materials are placed in the recycling carts with good recycling materials. Contamination increases the cost of processing recyclables, undermines the good habits of those who practice proper recycling, and limits the ability of the recyclables to be made into new products.
Loads of materials unable to be recycled must be taken to the landfill if there are too many contaminants; resulting in an additional cost to the city.
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The top 5 contaminants in the City of Roanoke are:
- Plastic bags (this includes bagging your recyclables)
- Tanglers (things like cords and hoses)
- Wet waste (things like food, diapers, and liquids)
- Metal and electronics
- Styrofoam
This program will focus on the Belmont-Fallon neighborhood and serve as a pilot in advance of a future city-wide effort. Households in the targeted area will receive a letter notifying them of the campaign details, and a recycling information card that shows what can and can’t be placed in the recycling cart.
Staff from the city’s Solid Waste Division and Office of Sustainability will be checking the contents of the light blue recycling carts in the targeted area on their scheduled recycling day throughout four consecutive recycling cycles, starting in October and ending in December.
Recycling carts containing any of the top five contaminants will be tagged with an ‘Oops Tag’ to identify the non-recyclable materials and will not be serviced. There will be no fines associated with this program, yet the non-recyclable materials must be removed from the cart in order to be serviced on the next scheduled recycling day. Cart-tagging staff will be wearing bright orange safety vests for easy identification.
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“Single-stream recycling has made recycling an easier process for our community, but we’ve got to be diligent about making sure only accepted recycling materials are in our containers. It’s unfortunate, just because a product has a recycling symbol on it doesn’t mean it’s recyclable within our current system. When we “wish cycle” - we bog down the collection process, can jam equipment, and increase costs for the City and our regional recycling company, RDS. In the future, as the U.S. increases plastic and glass markets, I would really like to see our region increase our recycling offerings to support a more circular economy. If you aren’t recycling in your household or business, I encourage you to create a new habit. Just like taking reusable bags to the grocery store. It begins one step at a time!”Leigh Anne Weitzenfeld, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Roanoke said.
Solid Waste Customer Service Specialists will be available to answer resident questions and concerns: (540) 853-2000 option #1.
For more information about the program and resources regarding where to take items that can’t be recycled through curbside recycling, please visit www.roanokeva.gov/recycle.
