Successful Ward 7 Pilot Increased Recycling Participation and Volume

(Washington, DC) Recycling is an important aspect of any city's solid waste management program. To improve service and manage operating costs, the Department of Public Works is changing the way it collects recyclables. A recycling pilot program begun in a small area of Ward 7 in June 2003 has proven so successful that DPW will implement the program citywide.

Central to the program are the new blue recycling carts that will replace the old bins. Built like miniature Supercans, the carts have wheels and lids. The new program will also introduce more residents to single stream recycling, which means that all recyclables will go into the same container. Once the blue carts have been delivered, customers will no longer have to keep paper and other recyclables separated, nor will they have to lift heavy bins.

Beginning next week, DPW will start delivering blue recycling carts to households in upper Ward 7. Distribution will continue from east to west until all DC neighborhoods are covered.

DPW's Solid Waste Management Administration and its Labor Management partner, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Local 2091, spent a year studying the current recycling collection system, as well as several alternatives before developing the pilot program.

James Ivey, President of Local 2091, said "We are pleased to have this opportunity to show that public employees can deliver comparable or better service at a cost competitive with the private sector."

The original pilot for the blue-cart recycling program began in June 2003 with 582 households in one area of Ward 7. Shortly after the program began, participation and volume of recyclables increased dramatically.

Before the pilot began, an average of 17 percent of residents set out recyclables for collection. The average amount set out per customer was 1.5 pounds. During the pilot, participation increased to 46 percent and the amount set out per customer rose to six pounds.

"We think this is going to improve service to our residents and increase recycling across the city," said DPW Director William O. Howland, Jr.