FORT WAYNE – Mayor Tom Henry is pleased with the city’s enthusiasm for recycling, but he wants it to be even greater.
Henry on Thursday released statistics for the first year of recycling under the city’s new single-cart program. The data showed more materials were recycled, more people are recycling and less waste is going to the landfill.
“I think it’s safe to say this program has exceeded our expectations,” he said.
The city launched a recycling program in 2011 that replaced two bins with one large cart that can hold all types of materials to recycle. In that first year, participation in the recycling program jumped from 39 percent to 70 percent, based on the number of homes that requested the new carts.
That increase in participation led to thousands more tons being recycled and kept out of the landfill. Last year, the city collected 12,419 tons of recycled materials, compared with 8,837 tons in 2010.
Matt Gratz, solid waste director, said the jump in tons recycled doesn’t match the jump in participation for a few reasons. For one, the new carts keep water off materials, eliminating soggy newspaper and cardboard. Additionally, the program took a few months to roll out, so not all residents had the carts over all of 2012. He said the total tons being recycled should continue to grow.
More materials being recycled led to fewer materials going to the landfill. Last year, city residents pitched 88,953 tons of waste, about 6,000 tons less than the previous year, Henry said. This meant a savings of $150,000 in tipping fees paid the landfill.
In addition, the city last year began receiving half of the profits from all materials recycled by residents.
This generated $426,932 in revenue. That money plus the cost-savings allowed the city to reduce monthly garbage fees from $11.24 to $9.95.
While pleased with the success, Henry said the city will continue to expand the program. He said the city has set an internal goal to increase household participation to 80 percent in 2012, which would be one of the higher rates in the country. The city receives $100,000 annually to market its recycling and garbage programs.
“I know we can do even better,” Henry said.
