For release: Monday, November 15, 2010
Contact: Public Information Office, 427-2146
Photos listed below are available at high resolution upon request
NEW PROGRAM MAKES RECYCLING EASIER
Registration required for new program
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Beginning in January 2011, Fort Wayne residents will no longer have to separate paper and cardboard from cans, glass and plastics. Residents are required to sign up to receive their all-in-one recycling cart that will be phased in beginning January.
“We believe One Cart Recycling will encourage Fort Wayne residents to participate in our recycling program, which works toward decreasing the amount of waste being sent to the landfill and ultimately saving citizens money,” said Mayor Tom Henry.
The new recycling program, which begins in January, will allow City residents to recycle plastics with numbers 1 through 7. This will include common items such as margarine and yogurt containers and frozen food trays. Until December 31, 2010 residents may recycle only plastics numbers 1 and 2.
Nationwide estimates suggest that more than 50 percent of the items Americans throw into the trash could actually be recycled. In 2009, Fort Wayne residents disposed of more than 107,000 tons of garbage – only 9,000 tons went to recycling bins. As a result, less than 10 percent of the City’s waste was recycled.
“It is economically sound for all residents to participate in the new recycling program. The City has a contract in place that allows us to share recycling profits with the contractor,” said Public Works Director Bob Kennedy.
Under the new contract with National Serv-All, Fort Wayne will receive 50 percent of the profits generated by the sale of recyclable material, after the materials have been processed.
“This additional revenue will stay in the Solid Waste Fund, and will be instrumental in keeping our rates as low as possible for our residents,” said Mayor Henry.
Residents must notify the City if they wish to receive the new recycling cart. More than 6,000 residents have already signed up on-line at www.recyclefortwayne.org. All City residents will soon receive a pre-paid postcard in the mail that they can use to request a recycling cart. Residents who have already registered on-line do not need to return the post card.
“I’m encouraged by seeing this kind of immediate involvement from our community,” said Mayor Henry. “I project the program will help double our current involvement by this time next year, which will help save the city more than $400,000 annually.”
The new all-in-one recycling cart will replace the yellow and brown recycling bins. All recyclables can go into the cart starting January. Because the new recycling carts will have lids similar to the trash bins currently being used, blown away recyclables will be reduced, which will help keep streets cleaner. The garbage cart and recycling carts are similar except the recycling cart’s lid will be solid yellow with a molded label listing items people can recycle.
“Our goal is to not only reduce costs for residents but increase involvement in our community by making recycling as easy, convenient and economically sound as possible,” said Kennedy.
Changes to recycling include:
- All recyclable items will go in the same cart.
- Plastics No. 1 through 7 can be recycled.
- Residents whose garbage is picked up in alleys will have recycling picked up in the same location beginning January.
- Residents can select a 96-gallon or 48-gallon cart.
Sign up methods for residents living within city limits include:
- Visiting www.recyclefortwayne.org
- Calling 3-1-1
- Filling out a prepaid postcard that all residents will receive toward the end of November
Additional details about the phase in of the new recycling program City-wide will be announced in December.
For additional information about the new recycling program, please visit www.recyclefortwayne.org.
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