City kicks off new automated recycling program
June 6, 2016
City Council members were joined by representatives from the City’s Green Ribbon Advisory Committee (GRAC), the S.C. Department of Health & Environmental Control (SCDHEC) and The Recycling Partnership this morning at the TD Convention Center to launch the City’s new automated recycling program. New automated collection vehicles and the new 95-gallon “Big Blue” recycling roll carts being delivered to residents this week were on display at the event. The new collection system officially begins on Monday, June 6, and in addition to increasing the volume of materials that residents will be able to recycle curbside, the City is also increasing the types of plastic materials that it collects to numbers 1 through 7. Residents will continue to receive weekly collection service and their collection day will remain the same.
The City is converting from a manual recycling collection system, which uses people and traditional rear loading vehicles, to an automated collection system, which uses vehicles with robotic arms mounted on the side to pick up and empty the recycle containers. The impetus for the transition stemmed from the GRAC’s desire to minimize adverse impacts on the environment and increase the recycling and reuse of materials in all areas of the city. In collaboration with the GRAC’s Recycling & Waste Management Ad Hoc Committee, in 2014, City staff began researching ways to reduce the waste stream and improve the safety and efficiency of the City’s operations and equipment.
In 2015, City Council approved approximately $2.2 million in the City’s FY2015-2016 budget for vehicles and equipment to facilitate implementation of an automated solid waste and recycling collection system. Additionally, the City received a $125,000 grant from national recycling nonprofit The Recycling Partnership, which helps communities transform their recycling programs through technical support, education programs and city grants. The majority of the grant ($100,000) was used to purchase new 95-gallon recycling roll carts, and the remaining portion of the grant was used to help fund the “All In. Recycling Simplified.” public education and awareness campaign that the City has conducted over the past few months. The City also received funding for the campaign from SCDHEC through the RecycleMore coalition, which was established to help South Carolina meet or exceed a recycling goal of 40% set for 2020.
Cart delivery to the City’s more than 15,000 recycling customers began on Monday and will be completed by tomorrow. Molded onto the lid of each cart is a label with graphics showing how to place the cart at the curb and what can and cannot go in the cart. In addition to the new cart, residents also receive a welcome packet, which includes a fact sheet with additional information, including what to do with their old 18-gallon recycling bin. The packet also includes a magnet with “dos and don’ts” and the resident’s collection day on it. As an additional resource, the City’s website features a page where residents can watch an instructional video, view frequently asked questions and apply for “carry-out service,” which is provided for residents who are physically unable to get their recycling cart to the curb for pick-up.
According to City Council members Amy Ryberg Doyle and Gaye Sprague, the City is committed to working with its residents to reduce the amount of materials going into the landfill by making recycling in the city as simple and convenient as possible. The new system is also expected to save taxpayers approximately $2 million over the next 10 years. “Our goals for the new program were simple – make our collection service safer and more cost-effective, improve the efficiency of our operations and increase the recycling rate,” said Sprague. “So much work has gone into making this day possible, on the part of both the City and the dedicated citizens who serve on the Green Ribbon Advisory Committee,” added Doyle. “We hope these changes will encourage residents to support our efforts to achieve a 60% citywide recycling rate by 2017.”
For more information about the new automated recycling collection system, visit recycle.greenvillesc.gov.
