[Durham INC] Durham Debuts New Curbside Recycling Program July 13

[Blalock, Amy]

CITY OF DURHAM

Office of Public Affairs

101 City Hall Plaza

Durham, NC 27701

 

 

News Release

 

For Details, Contact:

Amy Blalock

Sr. Public Affairs Specialist

(919) 560-4123 x 11253

(919) 475-7735 (cell)

Amy.Blalock at durhamnc.gov <mailto:Amy.Blalock at durhamnc.gov> 

 

For Immediate Release:  June 1, 2009

 

Durham Set to Debut New Curbside Recycling Program July 13

New 95-Gallon Recycling Roll-Out Carts Arrive in June; Service Changes
to Bulky Item and Yard Waste Collections as well as 

Existing Friday Customers Also Begin July 13

 

DURHAM, N.C. - Beginning this month, City of Durham residents who
receive curbside garbage collection will notice a new addition to their
households - a 95-gallon blue roll-out cart.

 

As the City's Department of Solid Waste Management prepares to launch
its new curbside recycling program on July 13, 2009, citizens will begin
receiving their new roll-out carts throughout the month of June, which
will replace their 18-gallon blue bins when the program launches next
month.    

 

According to Donald Long, director of the City's Department of Solid
Waste Management, the new program is designed to replicate the
collection and participation rate increases seen in the pilot program
from earlier this year.  "After experiencing a dramatic 50 percent
increase in the amount of materials collected for recycling when we
piloted this bi-weekly program in several Durham neighborhoods, we felt
this program would benefit the entire city - especially since the
recycling participation rate also increased from 40 percent to 70
percent," Long said.  

 

According to Long, the new roll-out carts also come with new changes,
especially in the collection schedule and the amount of materials that
can now be recycled.  "Since the new recycling roll-out carts are
significantly larger than the old bin, recycling collection will occur
every other week on the same day the home receives solid waste
collection beginning the week of July 13," Long said.  "It's important
to note that garbage collection in the green roll-out carts will still
be collected every week.  And, more importantly, the new blue recycling
roll-out carts are significantly larger than the old bins so our
residents will be able to recycle more materials, which ultimately helps
our environment by sending fewer materials to the landfill."

 

When the blue roll-out carts arrive, a recycling collection schedule and
a list of "frequently asked questions" will be attached to the carts in
a plastic bag, explaining the new program in more detail.  Prior to the
blue roll-out carts arriving, a postcard is being mailed this week to
all residential water bill customers to alert them to the new cart
arrival and the other changes scheduled to take place July 13.  "We want
to be sure our know these carts are arriving and know where to go if
they have questions or need more information about the new program,"
Long said.  

 

According to Long, in addition to receiving the new schedules with the
delivery of the roll-out carts, citizens can also visit the City's Web
site to learn more, including a map that will allow them to determine
their new recycling collection schedule based on their location in the
city.  "We want this transition to be as easy and convenient for our
citizens as possible," Long said.  "We truly feel this new program is
going to help our citizens recycle more, while at the same time being
more convenient for them to have a larger cart they can easily roll to
their curb.  In addition, this is saving the City a significant amount
of money as well.  It's truly a win-win situation for all."

 

The new curbside recycling program isn't the only change occurring the
week of July 13.  The bulky item collection program will now be offered
on a weekly basis.  Citizens are encouraged to place up to three bulky
items at their curb the same day as their garbage collection.  As crews
come through to pick up the green and blue roll-out carts, they'll note
the bulky items set on the curb and crews will return the next day to
collect.  "We've had such a good response to the current bulky item
program that only collects once a month, that we jumped at the
opportunity to streamline this program even more by offering weekly
collection to our citizens," Long said.  

 

Yard waste collection customers will also need to take note of a new
collection schedule beginning the week of July 13.  The brown roll-out
carts should still be placed at the curb by 7 a.m. the same day as the
weekly garbage collection in the green roll-out carts.  However, the
yard waste carts will not be serviced until the next day, streamlining
the collection into a Tuesday through Friday operation.  "This is very
similar to the new bulky item collection schedule," Long said.  "As our
crews come through each Monday through Thursday to collect the garbage,
they'll note if a yard waste cart is at the curb and our crews will
return the next day to pick it up.  All yard waste carts will be
collected by the end of each Friday."

 

The final service change going into effect the week of July 13 is that
Friday garbage, recycling, and yard waste customers should now set their
carts out on Wednesday.  "We're making this change to one of our
existing collection days to streamline our new pick-up schedules and
make these new programs as efficient as possible," Long said.  "By
moving our Friday customers to Wednesday, it allows us to have all bulky
items and yard waste carts collected for all customers that need it by
the end of the week.  Therefore, no set outs will take place over the
weekend.  Also, by only going to the locations that need bulky item and
yard waste service, we are saving a tremendous amount of money on fuel
and staff resources."

 

To learn more about any of these changes, including the recycling
collection schedule map and a list of frequently asked questions, visit
the City's Web site at 
www.durhamnc.gov/departments/solid/recycle_curb_collection.cfm or
contact Durham One Call at (919) 560-1200.

 

About the Department of Solid Waste Management

The City's Department of Solid Waste Management promotes and supports a
high quality of life for the citizens of Durham by providing
comprehensive, responsive, environmentally-safe, efficient, and
cost-effective solid waste collection, recycling, and disposal programs.
Department services include roll-out cart collection for garbage, yard
waste, and recycling; cart delivery and repair service, bulky item
pick-up; street cleaning; and disposal services.  For more information,
visit the City's Web site at www.durhamnc.gov/departments/solid
<http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/solid/> . 

 

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