New system may increase recycling by 11 percent
The days of separating recycled materials are over in Santa Monica.
By the end of the end of next week, a new recycling system will allow residents to throw all cans, glass, plastic, paper and newsprint into one bin instead of separating the materials and bundling newspapers, city officials said.
Giant bright-blue 300-gallon rubber drums will be lined up along alleys in neighborhoods where there are apartment complexes. 100-gallon blue containers will be given to owners of single-family homes. The bins will replace smaller tubs that residents had previously used.
Because the new system will make recycling easier, city officials predict an 11 percent increase in resident participation.
3D4,“The proven theory is that it will increase participation because people won’t have to separate their items into those three bins,” said Craig Perkins, the city’s director of Environmental and Public Works. “It’s the way things are going in most communities at this point.”
To collect the recycables, city trucks equipped with robotic arms will be driven through alleys and streets to empty the bins. Perkins said the process will be more efficient and allow city employees to collect recycling in less time than it takes now.
“It’s less labor intensive and decreases the chance for injuries,” Perkins said. “It will also use the same vehicles we currently use but they will also be dedicated trucks for recycables and yard waste.”
Though actual numbers aren’t available, officials said the new recycling system will cost the city marginally more than its current program. The added cost is attributed to the extra sorting of materials before they are taken to a recycling plant.
Perkins said the increased costs are justified.
“There’s more work to get the material sorted, but it’s balanced off by the greater volume of materials we will be able to collect,” he said. “There’s a balancing to it all and while we think it will make our recycling program slightly less cost effective, it should be slightly offset by the increased collection.”
The new system also will result in a decrease of waste going into landfills, fulfilling a City Council goal to become a more environmentally-friendly community.
“People won’t have to separate everything and it’ll increase recycling,” said Mayor Pro Tem Kevin McKeown. “These are all good things that will help us meet our sustainability goals.”
Recycling routes and dates will remain the same under the new system, which has been tested in single-family home and apartment complex neighborhoods sine 1999. The new system is funded in part by a grant from the California Department of Conservation.
While the switch to the new recycling system may be seen as a chore for some residents, Perkins said City Hall wants to make the transition as smooth as possible.
“We will do this as sensitively as possible because everyone will have to get a new bin and get used to a new system,” Perkins said. “Some people are going to like it, others probably won’t. But people will eventually get used to it.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 8, 2003. Read the original PDF.