City of Newark public works crews began conducting “recycling audits” as part of an effort to reduce contamination in the loads of recycling taken to the Delaware Solid Waste Authority’s sorting facility. On their regular recycling routes through neighborhoods around Newark, workers will open up recycling carts to examine the contents, city spokeswoman Jayme Gravell said. They specifically will be looking for plastic bags and recyclables placed in plastic bags, which are the primary contributor to contamination.
While bags can be dropped off at many grocery stores for recycling, they cannot be recycled through Delaware’s single-stream recycling program because they clog the sorting machines. Recyclables should be deposited into recycling carts loose, not in bags. “As a courtesy over the next two weeks, employees will empty carts completely and leave a tag on the cart with a written explanation of the error,” Gravell said. “Starting March 10, bagged recyclables will be removed and placed next to the refuse cart.” Other commonly misplaced items that may be identified and removed during the audit include Styrofoam, shredded paper and things like ropes and hoses that get tangled in the sorting machines.
Earlier this month, city workers placed stickers on residents’ recycling carts that visually demonstrate what is and is not considered single-stream recycling to use as a reference guide for future collections. Residents are encouraged to contact the Public Works and Water Resources Department at 302-366-7000 if they have questions about recyclable products. “The City of Newark is committed to being a good partner in recycling to its residents as well as the State,” said Jason Winterling, public works field operations superintendent. “The biggest mistake we observe weekly is improperly bagged recyclables. It is our hope that this outreach and forthcoming audit helps to improve the recycling habits of our residents as well as improve the product delivered to DSWA, reducing our fines in the long term.”