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Written by Lindsay Crowder   
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Monday, 11 January 2010

City Recycling

Although comprehensive recycling programs are increasing in popularity throughout most cities across the United States, the volume of garbage produced in cities continues to outweigh the volume of waste recycled there. Currently, the U.S. creates over 250 million tons of municipal waste each year and only 32.5% of that waste is sent to the curb for recycling.1 However, with proper public education and increased legislation, recycling rates in most U.S. cities are on the rise. Some cities have gone as far as making recycling mandatory, while others strive to make it accessible to all residents. There is good news coming out of the 5 most populated cities in America—over half of them have recycling rates above fifty percent. Below is a snapshot of the recycling programs offered in each of these cities—New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Philadelphia.2

Recycling Guidelines for the 5 Largest U.S. Cities

New York City
Population: 8,274,527. Recycling rate: 55%.

It is mandatory for all residents, schools, institutions, agencies, and commercial businesses to recycle in New York City. Green and blue decal bins designate their recycling program.

Green decal bins:
  • white, colored, and glossy paper (staples OK)
  • mail and envelopes (window envelopes OK)
  • wrapping paper (remove ribbon and tape)
  • smooth cardboard (food boxes — remove inside & outside plastic wrappers — shoe boxes, tubes from paper towel and toilet paper rolls, cardboard from product packaging)
  • paper bags
  • cardboard egg cartons and trays
  • newspapers, magazines, and catalogs
  • phone books, soft cover books (paperbacks, comic books, etc.; no spiral bindings)
  • corrugated cardboard (flattened boxes)
Blue decal bins:
  • metal cans (soup, pet food, empty aerosol cans, dried-out paint cans, etc.)
  • aluminum foil wrap & trays
  • household metal (wire hangers, pots, tools, curtain rods, knives, small appliances that are mostly metal, etc.)
  • bulk metal (metal furniture, cabinets, large appliances, etc.)
  • glass bottles & jars only
  • plastic bottles & jugs only
  • milk cartons & juice boxes (or any such cartons and aseptic packaging for drinks: ice tea, soy milk, soup, etc.)
Bulky Trash:
Furniture and appliances that are predominantly metal and are too big for your recycling container or clear bag — such as washing machines, metal filing cabinets, box springs, or water heaters — should be placed beside the recycling container on your regular recycling day.

To request free recycling literature or decals, go to: http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/recycling/recycle_what.shtml#decals

Los Angeles
Population: 3,834,340. Recycling rate: 65%.

Los Angeles is the top recycler among the top 10 most populated cities in the U.S. The City manages a comprehensive recycling program that annually collects over 240,000 tons of recyclables and 480,000 tons of yard trimmings.3 Aside from curbside recycling, Los Angeles also offers permanent and mobile drop off centers for recycled goods. The City provides blue bins to recycle curbside the following materials:

Paper
  • All Clean Dry Paper: computer, ledger, wrapping, arts and craft paper, unwanted mail, flyers, telephone books, note cards, newspaper, blueprints, magazines, file folders, paper bags, Post-it notes, catalogs; and all envelopes including those with windows
  • All Cardboard Boxes and Chipboard: cereal, tissue, dry food, frozen food, shoe, and detergent boxes; paper and toilet rolls; and corrugated boxes broken down and flattened.
Metals
  • All Aluminum, Tin, Metal, and Bi-Metal Cans: rinsed if possible, soda, juice, soup, vegetables, and pet food cans; pie tins; clean aluminum foils; empty paint and aerosol cans with plastic caps removed, and wire hangers
Glass
  • All Glass Bottles and Jars: rinsed if possible, soda, wine, beer, spaghetti sauce, pickle jars, broken bottles, and etc.
Plastics
  • All Clean Plastics numbered 1 through 7
  • Empty Plastic Containers: rinsed if possible, soda, juice, detergent, bleach, shampoo, lotion, mouthwash, dishwashing liquid bottles, milk jugs, tubs for margarine and yogurt, plastic planters, food and blister packaging, rigid clamshell packaging, etc.
  • All Plastic Bags and All Film Bags: grocery bags and dry cleaner bags, and all clean film plastic
  • All Clean Polystyrene (Styrofoam®): Styrofoam® cups, containers, and packaging such as Styrofoam® egg shell cartons, Styrofoam® block packaging, and Styrofoam® clamshell packaging
  • Miscellaneous Plastics: Plastic coat hangers, non-electric plastic toys, plastic swimming pools, & plastic laundry baskets
To find out more information or to download a decal, go to: http://www.lacitysan.org/solid_resources/recycling/what_is_recyclable.htm.

Chicago
Population: 2,836,658. Recycling rate: 52.4%.

The City of Chicago is working to make recycling accessible to residents by the end of 2011 with their blue cart program. The Department of Environment is currently encouraging residents to become Recycle Block Captain to train and provide recycling information for their neighbors. The City’s curbside recycling program operates bi-weekly and allows the following materials to be placed in the blue carts:
  • Glass jars and bottles
  • Aluminum cans, foil and pie tins
  • Tin or Steel cans
  • Cereal boxes, paper towel rolls
  • Cardboard (flatten all boxes)
  • Plastic bottles and containers (numbers 1-5, and 7 accepted)
  • Junk mail
  • Magazines and catalogs
  • Telephone books
  • Paper bags
  • Office paper and file folders
  • Newspaper and inserts
  • Beverage cartons (milk, juice, soy cartons)
For more resources or to become a Recycle Block Captain, go to:
http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/ portalEntityHomeAction.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@
1419782564.1262793268@@@@&BV_EngineID= ccceadejfkkgdihcefecelldffhdfho.0&entityName
=Recycling+Chicago&entityNameEnumValue=148.

Houston
Population: 2,208,180. Recycling rate: 16.7%.

The City of Houston is working to extend their curbside recycling program to all residents. Currently, their recycling program operates on a bi-weekly basis and residents can call the City to request a green recycling bin. The City of Houston now accepts:
  • Plastics numbered 1-5, and 7 (please rinse & drain): Plastic Bottles, Jars, Jugs, Tubs & Lids: milk, water, juice, soft drink, beer, Salad dressing, condiment, cooking oil, sauces, squeezable bottles & jars; Laundry & dishwashing detergent, medicine, mouthwash, cosmetic & shampoo bottles; cat litter jugs; yogurt, butter, margarine, ice cream (tubs & lids); coffee can lids
    • Plastic Items Not Accepted: All #6 plastics (including Styrofoam®), plastic bags, packaging material, meat food trays, food wrap, toys and furniture.
  • aluminum and tin cans
  • corrugated cardboard
  • mail
  • newspapers
  • telephone books
  • envelopes
  • home and office paper
  • magazines
  • used motor oil
Note: Glass cannot be recycled curbside. Residents may bring glass to the Westpark Consumer Recycling Center or to one of the drop-off sites that accept glass - Sunbeam, Kirkpatrick, Lawndale, Windfern.

For more information or to request a recycling bin, go to: http://www.houstontx.gov/solidwaste/recycling/index.html.

Philadelphia
Population: 1,449,634. Recycling rate: 42%.

It is the law in Philadelphia for all residents to recycle. Residents are provided with blue bins for single stream curbside recycling that are to be put out every week with trash pickup. By July 2010, the entire City will also be part of the Philadelphia Recycle Rewards Program, “powered by RecycleBank, the more you and your neighbors recycle the more rewards points you earn. Redeem them for valuable gift cards, gift certificates, discounts and more!”4 Items accepted for recycling include:
  • Metal: Bi-metal cans (like food cans), aluminum cans (like soda cans), empty aerosol cans, empty paint cans
  • Glass: Jars and bottles (clear, brown, green)
  • Mixed Paper: Newspaper, magazines, catalogs, junk mail, advertising inserts, telephone books, food boxes (like cereal and cracker boxes – remove plastic liner), computer paper, flyers, soda cartons
  • Cardboard: Empty and flattened
  • Plastic Containers #1 and #2: these are mostly beverage and detergent containers
To find out more information or to get started in the Philadelphia Recycle Rewards Program, go to: http://phillyrecyclingpays.com/index.asp

For more resources about recycling in your region, check out the Greeniacs Guide “Recycling 101” at http://www.greeniacs.com/GreeniacsGuides/Recycling-101.html.

Browse all Greeniacs Articles Browse all Greeniacs Guides        Browse all Greeniacs Articles
_______________________________________________________________________________

1 http://www.nrdc.org/cities/recycling/fover.asp
2 Population and recycling rates provided by the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation:
http://www.lacitysan.org/pdf/2009/LACityRecylingRate.pdf; see also
http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/most_pop_cities_usa.htm.
3 http://www.lacitysan.org/solid_resources/recycling/index.htm
4 http://phillyrecyclingpays.com/recycling-rewards-detail.asp




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