Starting in September, Las Cruces inspectors will begin looking into recycling bins in about 30% of the city to try to educate residents about what’s recyclable and what’s not. Bins that don’t pass muster will be tagged with an “Oops” and the bin will not be emptied.“The top three types of contamination we see in blue recycling bins in Las Cruces are 1) recyclables in bags, 2) “tanglers” like garden hoses, wire extension cords, and 3) Styrofoam,” said Tarkeysha Burton, recycling coordinator for the South Central Solid Waste Authority (SCSWA). “If we could get residents to stop bagging their recyclables, that would be a great step forward – recyclables must be loose in the bin, so we can see what’s there.”
It’s the “Tug, Tip, Tag, and Turn” program developed by The Recycling Partnership, a national non-profit that works with cities and towns across the country to try to transform recycling. “To know if something is recyclable, all you have to do is look at the big label on top of the blue bin lid, and only recycle the items shown there,” Burton said.
In El Paso, the city’s Environmental Services Department has already implemented the “tagging and tipping” effort as a pilot program to educate recycling customers. The goal: greatly reducing contamination in blue curbside bins.
It works like this: An inspector gives the bin a quick tug, and then tips open the lid to see if there is anything amiss. The inspectors look for things like bagged recyclables, plastic bags, yard waste, food or liquids and “tanglers” that can mess up recycling equipment at the Friedman plant: things like hoses, wires, chains, and extension cords. If anything is found amiss by the inspectors, the bin is turned around so it will not be picked up by the recycling truck. The inspectors leave an “Oops!” tag and circle the reason why the city didn’t pick up the bin so residents to know what to leave out in the future.
Read the full story at https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/local/2018/08/18/city-inspect-recycling-bins-contamination/1025071002/.