The future of Oak Ridge recycling is now. Our new recycling carts have been delivered all over town, Waste Connections is collecting recyclables using a truck that is equipped to lift the carts and dump the contents into the truck, and the RecycleBank incentive program starts on Monday.
I’m hearing a lot of questions and comments about the new program. I don’t have answers to everything yet, but here are some questions and answers:
1. The cart is too big — we can’t possibly fill it in one week
Yes, the carts are big. Some households need a big cart, but many of us won’t. Before we approved the program, I asked about giving people the option of smaller carts. I learned that the lifting device on the truck has to grip the cart at a certain height, so a smaller cart would have to he the same height as the larger cart. That means it would be a skinnier cart, making it more susceptible to tipping over (for example, in the wind) and meaning that it would be harder to put bulky recyclables (like corrugated cardboard boxes into the cart. Also, there are logistical issues with giving different size carts to different households. As a result, everybody got the same size cart.
2. We have been putting plastic bags in our bins, but the label on the cart says they can’t be recycled. What’s up?
Ignore that part of the label. That part of the label is wrong. If you are skeptical of what I say, RecycleBank says on its website: “Welcome Oak Ridge Residents! …. PLASTIC BAGS ARE ACCEPTED IN THIS RECYCLING PROGRAM.” In addition to plastic bags, the program accepts:
Newspaper
Phone Books
Cardboard (flatten and place in cart)
Glass bottles and jars: clear, green, amber (rinse and discard lids)
Junk mail, magazines, catalogs and phone books
Metal cans: aluminum, steel
Office and school paper
Paper bags
Plastics #1 through #7
3. How do we sign up to get rewards?
You should have received a mailer with a unique ID number for your household. Register that number online at the RecycleBank website or phone the toll-free number on the cart (888-727-2978).
4. What happens to the material that’s collected for recycling? I hope it doesn’t go to a landfill!
The material we recycle goes to a materials recovery facility in Knoxville, where it is sorted (apparently this is mostly done by human crews who watch conveyor belts) and sold. As of a few months ago, the company said it had strong markets for all of the material it received; impressively, all materials except cheap polystyrene were being sold to U.S. buyers. In the current economy those markets have weakened, but the collected material is not being landfilled.
*5. We just moved in to our new house in a new subdivision, and we didn’t get a cart!
Call the local phone number for Waste Connections (482-3656) to request a cart, then call RecycleBank at the toll-free number to sign up for the incentives program.
*6. We would like to start recycling, but we are not physically able to push that cart to the curb.
If there is no one in the household physically able to transport recyclables to and from the curb, you should qualify to receive “back-door” collection for your recyclables. Call Waste Connections at 482-3656 for information.
**7. What if one recycling cart isn’t big enough for my family?
Here’s the answer based on information received today from the city manager: You can contract directly with Waste Connections for a second cart and weekly curbside collection. The cost is $6.50 per month per cart, billed quarterly, in advance. RecycleBank can set it up so that all carts at an address are credited to the same account.
However, you always have the option of giving your extra recyclables to a neighbor who has a smaller family!
*Added on March 9th.
**Added on April 7th.
Thanks Ellen for clarifying about plastic bags. That is good. This program is good. Thanks for helping to arrange.
At RR some of the people in patio homes have no way to get the cans to the front (regular garbage is picked up in the back, but recycle in the front). From what I am hearing these folks probably can not participate. Can they still use told old blue cans and have picked up under the former recycle program?
Thanks for the alert on this issue, Mike.
I don’t imagine that all of the Rarity Ridge patio home residents are willing to push their recycle carts through their living rooms every week in order to get them to and from the curb. If they take the old hand-carry bins to the curb, their recyclables will continue to be collected, but they won’t get RecycleBank credits.
I replied to you by e-mail and cc-ed the City Manager and Public Works director to ask that they get with the collection contractor to work something out for the folks in the patio homes. I recall that there is some sort of alley access to the back of those homes — is my recollection faulty, or aren’t the alleys wide enough to accommodate the recycle trucks? If the alley won’t accommodate recycle trucks, maybe several residents’ carts could be grouped together at the entrance to the alleyway. (I guess they would need to add labels to the carts so that each cart gets returned to the correct household…)
My household’s RecycleBank account still doesn’t show any credits for Monday’s collection. I haven’t heard whether other people’s accounts have been credited, or if this is just a process that is running slow.
I wasn’t patient enough. Today the e-mail arrived saying that we earned 60 points from this week’s pickup. At 2.5 points per pound, I guess that means we recycled 24 lbs this week.
There have been 2 collections since I registered my account. And I still haven’t received any credits. :-/ I had a couple of HUGE loads, too.
Anyway, I sent an email to Recycle Bank to that end. I will probably try to call Waste Connections as well.
I’ll keep you posted.
Thanks for sharing this!! I LOVE the program! And it’s great not having to sort everything.
Hi, just found your blog. I have hadthe opposite problem, in that the bins are not big enough. I have four children, and we recycle everything. LOL Thanks for the great blog about our city.
Renee: I hope you have gotten things sorted out with the Recycle Bank process. If not, do contact Waste Connections in addition to RecycleBank — the W.C. folks are the ones who actually collect stuff.
Jennifer: Wow! You are the first person I’ve heard of who is chronically short on space in the new cart. I think Waste Connections would be willing to sell you a second cart, but it would not be cheap. It probably would be better to have your kids break down your cardboard boxes and stomp on your plastic bottles and aluminum cans in order to get more stuff into the cart.
Since there was no recycling pick-up on Good Friday, my recycle bend was really stuffed full. You know, recycling is not that easy for me. It requires some effort. Yesterday my regular trash was picked up as usual, however I noticed that my recycle bend and been moved. After checking, I found it empty! All of that work and effort had been dumped into the truck with all the regular trash. I am surprised that the workers did not know the difference! This was very disappointing to me. The recycle bend was on the opposite side of the drive-way from the regular trashcans.
Problems have risen with the recording of RecycleBank points. I have learned other communities have been having months go by without an updated RecycleBank Account. This is happening to me now. I’m waiting for a response from RecycleBank, but as many others have experienced the answer is not coming. What is the problem with RecycleBank that they cannot perform as we pay for them to do?
I can’t speak to what’s happened in other places.
My household has had some glitches in getting points credited, but the points miraculously appear after sending e-mails to RecycleBank (via their website). If that doesn’t work, phone Waste Connections locally at 482-3656. If that doesn’t work, please give me the details.
I love the recycle program. My house has reduced waste by half. But I would like to know if we are capable of recycling PolyStyrene Number 6. It has a recycle symbol. with a number 6 and PS below that. Most everything that you get boxed at Christmas that was not clothes comes with this packaging.
Thank you,
Aleshia
I’m afraid I have disappointing news for you, Aleshia. All numbered plastic is recyclable in our city program except for polystyrene foam (styrofoam). Polystyrene (number 6) can be recycled, but not if it’s foam. Most polystyrene packaging is styrofoam…
As of a few years back, some of the “mailing center” stores would accept foam “peanut” packaging and use it for mailing (or even sell it), so you might check with them if you have peanuts you want to recycle.