The Recycling Alliance of North Alabama (RANA), which began its new curbside recycling program in August, has seen much success and participation over its first three months of operations, officials said. RANA is the Solid Waste Disposal Authority of the City of Huntsville (SWDA) funded monthly curbside recycling program that replaced the former 18-gallon bins with new 95-gallon carts which are five times larger than the bins. In June, residents were able to register for the new program, and the program now has approximately 61,000 households participating in the first three months. Based on our spot audit of the last program, the number of active participants is up approximately 25,000 households.

In looking at the first three months of the program, more than 80 percent of residents that signed up for the program have participated and placed their cart on the curb for their pick-up day collection. This is a fairly high number for a new program, and new carts will continue to be delivered to residents who sign up. Currently, there are 4,500 carts in the process of being delivered.

“We are pleased that the new program is off to a good start. The new program has extended eligibility to approximately 20,000 additional households, and we hear frequently that these households are glad to be included as well,” said Doc Holladay, ExecutiveDirector of SWDA, which manages the RANA program. “While we had a few road bumps in the beginning, we know that we are now at a point that we can look back at the last couple months and celebrate the program and our successes, learn from any mistakes, and continue to be a place that offers sustainable choices to our residents.”

For August, September and October 2019, the stats are listed below:

 August 2019

o TotalHouseholdsOpt-in–49,600o TotalPickedUp–40,795
o Set-outRate–82percent
o Tons collected – 368.77

  September 2019

o TotalPickedUp–50,932
o Set-outRate–83percento Tonscollected–552.09

  October 2019

o TotalHouseholdsOpt-in–60,981o TotalPickedUp–48,322
o Set-outRate–79percent
o Tons collected – 528.51

For more information, visit www.recycling-alliance.com.

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