Metro wants to increase education and awareness about recycling after a drop in the number of households participating in the program.
The set out rates of households that receive Curby recycling bins in the Urban Services District (USD) has decreased from initial 50 percent to about 40 percent.
Curby, the city’s curbside recycling program, started in 2002. In 2004 the city collected 12,052 tons of recyclables, which saved Metro $318,000 in waste disposal costs.
Public Works Director Billy Lynch envisions a Nashville in which all USD households participate in recycling. To reach that goal, he said it is necessary to beef up community education about the benefits of recycling.
“We have 125,000 households in the USD and approximately 40 percent of them [have] regular participation every month,” Lynch said. “And we have some households set out every three months or four months.”
Curby set out rates ranged from 15 percent to 71 percent depending on the pick-up area, according to data provided by Public Works to Metro Council.
“My goal next year is that all the people have a better understanding of the importance of recycling, and that we see an increase in the percentage,” Lynch said. “I would love to see 100 percent, and … we have set that as our goal.”
Public Works has already rolled out education programs for third graders in Metro schools and wants to reach community groups and deliver messages through Metro’s Channel 3 and public television, Lynch said.
Schools and community groups can also learn about recycling by visiting an education room at Rivergate Recycling, the company receiving Metro’s recyclables through Curby.
Rivergate Recycling pays Metro $10 per ton of Curby material.
“We pay $27.45 per ton to dispose of trash in the Davidson County USD,” Lynch said. “If people would participate in the recycling, we eliminate the cost of the $27, and we’re actually bringing money in to the Metropolitan government.
“And … approximately 80 percent of the material collected through Curby goes back into the market in Tennessee promoting jobs and economic benefit within our state,” he added.
Members of Metro Council who have been critical of Public Works’ recycling data said they are encouraged about Lynch’s efforts.
“Public Works is working on clarifying what they count as recycling and what they don’t count as recycling in order to make that definition consistent,” Councilwoman Ginger Hausser said. “And I think that the Metro Council and the environmental community need to be involved in that process.”
Secondly, Hausser said, Public Works needed to go back over their reporting figures in the past five years and makes sure the information is consistent – either in fiscal years or calendar years. The most recent report delivered to Metro Council switched from fiscal years to calendar years.
“I think probably the last unresolved issue that we need to work on is that Curby participation varies a great deal from neighborhood to neighborhood,” Hausser said. |
Source: nashvillecitypaper.com |
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