12 - PRESENTATIONS/CHARTER AMENDMENTS/POLICE DEPT/RECYCLING PROGRAM

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Recycling Facts Increasing recycling levels to 60% at current waste levels would avoid the emission of more than 169 million metric tons of CO2e; equivalent to burning more than 19 billion gallons of fuel, or the annual emissions of more than 30 million cars, or the emissions from electricity used by more than 22 million homes. In 2007 each American generated 4.62 pounds of garbage each day, slightly less than the previous year. Of that, 1.5 pounds were recycled with 2.5 pounds per capita being thrown away and the rest composted. Last year in America, 91,000 tons of materials were recycled each day, for a total of 85 million tons recycled and 189 million tons thrown into landfills or sent to combustion. Getting Started Many community recycling programs have not kept pace with changes in recycling technology and best practices. They operate under very tight budgets that limit their ability to invest and improve outcomes. These factors call for a renewed focus on residential recycling programs as the key to significant improvements in recycling rates. For these improvements to last, recycling programs must move to a sustainable operating model, both from an economic and an environmental perspective. If the full economic and environmental benefits of recycling are realized, recycling will gain greater political support. There are 6 essential elements of a sustainable, effective residential recycling program that cities and towns should incorporate into their plan. These include: • Parallel access (matching recycling and waste service) Collaborate with haulers /collectors to collect recycling on the same day as waste (parallel service). Cities with parallel service have documented increases in recovery, when collection days were matched up. • Right -sized containers (large enough to hold all recyclables) There is nothing more frustrating than setting aside your recyclables and not