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	City Begins “Recycle More” Pilot Program
5/4/2007 - Released by Mayor's Office
For more information contact press office
City Begins “Recycle More” Pilot Program Parts of Jamaica Plain and Roslindale Will Test Bulk Recycling Mayor Menino and the City’s Public Works Department are investigating ways to increase participation, tonnage, and cleanliness of the weekly curbside recycling collection program. This pilot program will test the feasibility of collecting its residential recyclables mixed together in one recycling container. This collection method is known in the recycling industry as “single-stream” collection. This program is also looking at how we can encourage residents to recycle more not only for environmental benefits but to ultimately save City resources. For every ton of trash residents recycle, the city saves $70 on residents’ trash disposal fee. “This program is helping us look at ways to possibly improve our citywide curbside recycling program,” Mayor Menino said. “Over the past decade, we’ve expanded recycling to every corner of the city, now it’s time to take the program to the next level. By testing larger carts and single-stream, we expect to improve our environment and save taxpayers’ resources.” This week residents in a small section of Jamaica Plain and Roslindale west of Forest Hills Cemetery have been given 95- and 65-gallon wheeled-carts with covers. The streets included are bordered by Hyde Park Ave., Cummins Highway, Calvary Road and Paine Street, Walk Hill Street, Forest Hills Ave. and Monsignor Casey Highway. The route was chosen for its size and the diversity of multi- and single-family homes. The city is encouraging residents to use these carts instead of their current 14-gallon recycling bins. Residents will now be allowed to put their paper, bottles, cans and plastic containers mixed together into the larger carts. The program will gauge the impact these carts have on participation rates, total tonnage collected, and spillage on the street. The approximately 3,000 households in residential buildings on this route have received either a 95 or 65-gallon wheeled-cart. The carts will be collected once each week for six months, May to November 15, 2007. Mayor Menino would like to thank the three cart manufacturers, Cascade Engineering, Rehrig Pacific, and Toter, Inc. for donating 1,000 carts each to this pilot program. He would also like to thank the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs Department of Environmental Protection for the $25,000 grant that is paying in part for this pilot. The Mayor’s Office has already received a number of calls about the new recycling carts: Mr. Emanuel of Catherine Street is so excited, he called the Mayor’s office to say, “Thank you for my new cart. I can’t wait to fill it up.” Lucy Dudeney of Canterbury Street said, “I am so pleased with my new cart. I don’t have to collect paper bags anymore!” Fanilia Domond of Gilman Street said, “I needed something bigger than the blue bin. Thank you.” This pilot program comes on the heels of Mayor Menino’s recent Executive Order that, among many other city initiatives, said the City would recycle an additional 10 percent. He has also recently filed legislation for the expansion of the Bottle Bill. ###

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