Recycling Tonnage on the Increase

So far this year, Pulaski County residents have increased their participation in residential recycling programs. The quarterly measurements provided by Waste Management to the Regional Recycling & Waste Reduction District for January, February and March include recovered materials from curbside recycling carts in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Sherwood and the unincorporated areas of Pulaski County. (Maumelle, Jacksonville and Wrightsville implement their own municipal recycling collection.)

For the first quarter of 2018, 3,555 tons of recyclable material have been collected at the curb, compared to 3,151 in the first three months of 2017 – a 13% increase. However, anywhere from a quarter to a third of the tonnage was deemed “contaminated,” meaning the curbside recycling carts contained non-recyclable materials that should have been deposited in residential garbage or trash bins for landfilling.

“Residential customers are increasing their participation in local recycling programs, particularly through curbside pick-ups,” said Craig Douglass, executive director of the Regional Recycling District in Pulaski County. “Our focus through contracts with Waste Management for residential pick-up and recycling services is for outstanding customer service, the economic growth of our community, and protection of the public health and environment. Local residents make it happen.”

Making sure residents put the right recyclable commodities in their recycling carts is the focus of the district’s “Do Recycling Right” campaign. The objective is to reduce the rate of non-recyclable items placed in curbside recycling carts, which may spoil the entire cart’s contents for recycling. More information on what should and should not go in recycling carts may be found at MyDoRight.com.

“Participation in curbside recycling is up. We want to make sure cart contamination goes down,” Douglass said.

For more information, residential customers may call the Regional Recycling & Waste Reduction District at 501-340-8787, or go to RegionalRecycling.org, or MyDoRight.com.