Little Rock, Arkansas began a curbside recycling program to serve 56,000 households in May, 1996. Eighteen-gallon bins are used to collect commingled containers, including steel and aluminum cans, PET and HDPE bottles, and three colors of glass bottles and jars. Newspapers, magazines and mixed paper are placed in kraft bags and set out alongside bins. Corrugated cardboard is bundled and also set out with bins. The city is paying its contractor, Waste Management of Arkansas North, $1.73 per household/month to provide the service. A clause in the contract allows the city to receive a share in the revenues, but once the city accepts that option, it cannot opt out for the length of the seven year contract. With the current low prices for paper, the city has chosen not to share in revenues. As part of the contract, the hauler built a materials recovery facility (MRF) to sort and process commingled recyclables. The city lacked a MRF, which is one reason why no full-scale curbside program had been implemented prior to 1996. An average of five lbs/household/week is diverted through the program.
No comments:
Post a Comment