Single-Stream Recycling

[smammy]

Somerville is switching to single-stream recycling citywide:

After nine months of testing an extremely popular zero-sort recycling pilot program in Ward 5, the City of Somerville has reached an agreement in principle with Casella Recycling LLC to take the program citywide this fall.

Yay!

Comments

[ron_newman]

I like it, but it doesn't seem like too much trouble to do things the way they are right now: all paper in one bin, all other stuff (plastic, glass, metal) together in the other bin.

[smammy]

The press release says that recycling rates increased by 60% in Ward 5 during the pilot program. That sounds like a pretty good reason to switch over.

[ron_newman]

Sure -- I'm just surprised it makes such a difference. I would never think to throw paper in with other stuff anyway.

[rethcir.livejournal.com]

Maybe because the bums couldn't easily take all the bottles out of the mixed-use bags? Are they going to catch on and start tearing open our mixed trash?

[somertricky.livejournal.com]

What is this "other bin" you speak of? On our block, they seem to go missing immediately (particularly once you mark it with your address, go figure), plus the experience of obtaining the bins has to be the biggest muncipal-related PITA I've had to deal with in twenty years of living here (fifteen different forms of ID, can't get two at a time, can't get one for your tenants, no no no no no). For something that is ostensibly saving the city money by getting material with some value out of the wastestream/landfill track, they're running it like a former Soviet republic.

Anyway, I've never been keen on putting office paper into an open bin either, been hauling it into the office for years. Will be nice to have something with a lid on it.

How well does the pickup of the new larger bins work on windy days?

[ron_newman]

I'm in a 50-unit apartment building so maybe things are different here already. We have five big rolling bins, two of them marked for glass/metal/plastics mix and the other three for paper. The city allows office paper, so I throw it in right along with the newspapers, magazines, and junk mail.

[smammy]

The new zero-sort bins are going to have attached lids, I believe.

[jamiesquared.livejournal.com]

Hah and they are ALWAYS out of new bins!

What are you talking about?

[spettacolo.livejournal.com]

I've replaced about 10 lost, stolen or broken bins for my two-family over the years. I drive up to the DPW yard, show the woman at the booth my driver's license and she hands me a bin. No hassle, whatsoever. I pick them up for my unit or my tenants' unit. I've never asked for two at a time, however.

[trtls.livejournal.com]

This is awesome! I won't have to get paper bags just to put my recycling in any more!

[upsidown.livejournal.com]

This.

[ratushebarl.livejournal.com]

Another vote of happy about lidded bins. Paper blowing around is annoying, and also I've read that wet paper is useless for recycling, and if it happens to rain on trash night well why are we bothering.

It _is_ a pain getting the bins. Is there reason to hope this will improve?

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

For the pilot program, the big bins were delivered. Perhaps they'll do the same for the full roll-out.

(You might be amused to hear that Carmine came out and yelled at the poor guys dropping off the bins.)

[smammy]

Residents will receive their bins curbside one week before the program begins and can start using them immediately.

(Helps if you read the article sometimes grumble grumble.)

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

I live in Medford and a while back they implement single-stream recycling and delivered bins to every address--I'd be surprised if they didn't do the same in Somerville (now if someone steals the big bin, I'd guess then you might have to go get a replacement.)

[leko.livejournal.com]

I am in ward 5, and I love the single stream recycling. As soon as I could start putting paper in the bag I have out for cans and bottles, my garbage production dropped significantly. Maintaining multiple recycling bins in the house is annoying. Now almost everything other than cat waste ends up in the recycling bin.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

I like to put those credit card solicitations in with the cat waste. Let's see just how dedicated those identity thieves are...

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

Are there environmentally friendly alternatives to kitty litter? Big, heavy bags of kitty litter are a large proportion of the trash in my neighborhood.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

Anyone know if single stream is particularly more expensive (both financially and energy)

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

64 GALLON bins??

Well, I guess I'll only need to put the recycling out on the curb every month or 3 :\ But what an annoyingly large thing to have to have lurking around, somewhere, god only knows where the monster can live.

[dial-zero.livejournal.com]

Hehehe. I think "cart" is a better word than "bin." It is a bulky beast, but it's really not a pain to lug out to the curb since it's on wheels, and you can get away with a smaller trash can because you end up recycling more.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

It will make no difference in how much trash we throw out, since we're already recycling as much as we are ever going to (or able to).

And wheels don't help when there's no place in front of our place to store something that size, and not a large enough space between vehicles in the driveway and various walls/fences to roll something that big.

I wish the damn enormous bins were optional, and we could continue to use small, more manageable, more suitable to apartment living, bins.

[alphacygni]

We just moved and have two small bins, one of which we bought at Staples since the city only gives you one. The first time we tried to put some paper out in paper bags because both bins were full, one of our neighbors appeared within ten minutes to lend us a spare bin so that we "wouldn't have to leave things on the sidewalk". We're cool that way on this street. :)

I am very excited about the program personally, but I do wonder how it will work for people in small condo/apartments, especially those without any driveway or much of any side-of-the-house space. I'm thinking of the triple-decker I once lived in on Highland, and I have no idea where such a bin would have gone.

when I carry an umbrella, it never rains

[diatomacearth.livejournal.com]

Oh man, just this afternoon, I hauled home a box stuffed chock-full of paper grocery bags to use for paper recycling.

As this would never have come to pass had I not done so: you're all welcome.

Re: when I carry an umbrella, it never rains

[ron_newman]

This program isn't starting until a yet-unspecified date in the fall, so you may stil get to use those paper bags. If you still have some left over, what I'd do is return them to the grocery store, mixing them in with the rest of their unused bags.