Louisville Metro Council has approved grant funding to roll out large, lidded, rolling recycling carts to residents in the Urban Services District who currently recycle with the small 18-gallon bins. The new carts will be delivered to residents this summer. The City applied for and received a grant from The Recycling Partnership, a nonprofit organization that works with city governments nationwide to transform their recycling programs. Louisville was selected to receive grant support because of its dedication to advancing recycling in the community. The grant from The Recycling Partnership helped pay for 28,000 new carts and includes funding for education and outreach about how and what to recycle.
“I want to express my gratitude to the Southeast Recycling Development Council and all our partners for their support of this program, which is so important in supporting our efforts to protect the environment and helps us enhance cleanliness and health in our communities,” said Mayor Greg Fischer about the program.
Councilman Bill Hollander, who sponsored the grant said, “Metro Council is pleased to accept this grant and grateful to The Recycling Partnership and the Waste Management District, which provided matching funds. We have big, important goals for reducing the amount of material going to a landfill, and more recycling carts, and additional education and outreach, will help us meet them.”
The City asks residents to continue to do their part by learning what’s acceptable in City recycling from the program’s website and placing only recyclable materials in their carts, including glass bottles and jars, aluminum and steel cans, food and beverage cartons, paper products (including newspapers and flattened cardboard), and empty plastic bottles and containers. To help limit contamination, make sure food and drink containers are empty and then place them directly into the recycling cart.
Some items that cannot be recycled in the cart include plastic bags, paper towels, electrical equipment, batteries, and clothing. These items often get mixed into recycling carts because of “wishcycling,” or the hope that they can be recycled. However, well-intentioned, unaccepted items can cause serious issues at the recycling facility.