After falling short of its recycling goal in 2019, the city of Dayton hopes that its use of data-tracking technology will lead to more waste being diverted from the landfill. The city also will oversee a “pay-as-you-throw” pilot program aimed at boosting recycling that will be tested in Jefferson Twp. that could be implemented in Dayton neighborhoods in the future.
“With ‘pay-as-you-throw,’ residents will be rewarded for recycling more,” said John Parker, Dayton’s waste collection manager. “As they recycle more, they will pay less.”
Through the third quarter of this year, recyclables accounted for about 8% of all city-collected waste, according to city data. That was the same recycling rate of the first three quarters of 2018 and fell short of the city’s 13% “diversion” goal for 2019.
On average, waste collection has picked up about 1,069 tons of recycling each quarter of 2019, the city said. Dayton pays about $38.25 per ton of waste sent to the landfill, while recyclables cost about $20 per ton.
This year, waste collection implemented a new radio-frequency identification (RFID) system that provides data about who is and isn’t recycling, said Fred Stovall, Dayton’s director of public works. Using that information, public works will identify neighborhoods with low participation rates and will try to educate citizens who do not recycle about its benefits, Stovall said.