The city of Grand Junction is planning on implementing pilot programs for curbside pickup of recycling and green waste to help divert waste away from the landfill. According to Grand Junction General Services Director Jay Valentine, the programs, which are expected to start in March, will include a “pay as you throw” system for trash containers, with price varying based on size and free recycling containers, which Valentine said he hopes incentivizes more recycling and smaller trash containers.
Green waste collection would happen April-October, and dual-stream recycling collections would happen about twice a month. Valentine said the pilot programs will help city staff figure out what it might take to implement those programs city-wide. “The pilot is not likely to be 12 months, so I think we’ll know once we learn and evaluate and be able to scale hopefully sooner,” City Manager Greg Caton said. “This pilot is meant to scale.”
City staff estimates the programs could divert about 52,000 pounds of waste from the landfill annually. Valentine said about 2,600 households have been selected for the pilot program. The two streams could include things like non-glass containers and fibers such as paper and cardboard, Valentine said.
To read the full story, visit https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/western_colorado/grand-junction-planning-recycling-green-waste-pick-up-pilot-programs/article_d71d7206-442d-11ed-8ed8-efc09e49f161.html.
Author: Sam Klomhaus, The Daily Sentinel
Image: Scott Crabtree, The Daily Sentinel