Press Release:
Mayor Coleman Marks Beginning of New Residential Recycling Program
New Recycling Cart Debuts with Delivery to Resident
Mayor Michael B. Coleman, Department of Public Service Director Mark Kelsey, City Environmental Steward Erin Miller and others today delivered the city’s first blue recycling cart filled with donated prizes to Columbus resident Lisa Dame, 6147 Woodsboro Drive, to celebrate the beginning of RecyColumbus, the City of Columbus’ new residential recycling service.
“Now that residential recycling is finally here, we need participation from our residents in order to be successful,” Mayor Coleman said. “Simply by throwing our recyclables in the blue cart instead of the wastebasket, we can save taxpayer dollars, protect our environment and become a greener city.”
Columbus residents who live on the west, southwest and northwest sides will begin receiving new, blue residential recycling carts in front of their homes on Monday, April 16. Delivery to these neighborhoods continues until May 19. Recyclables will be picked up at residents’ homes in this first phase beginning Monday, June 4 at no additional cost to residents. Recycling will be collected on a bi-weekly schedule, alternating with yard waste collection.
“Recycling preserves the environment, keeps recyclables out of the landfill, and creates and retains jobs. Plus it can save $3 million a year in tipping fees to the landfill if residents divert 25 percent of their trash to recycling. According to national statistics, 60 percent of the materials buried in a landfill could be recycled and put to good use,” said Councilmember Eileen Y. Paley, chair of the Public Service & Transportation Committee. “I look forward to this rollout and making this service available to our residents.”
RecyColumbus will serve more than 227,000 households by the time the program is fully implemented in February 2013. It is being rolled out in five phases. Columbus residents living in single-family homes or in a building with four units or less that are not part of a complex are eligible for this new convenient and easy-to-use city service.
In addition to saving millions of dollars in landfill tipping fee costs over several years, recycling preserves the environment.
“Recycling even one aluminum can, instead of trashing it, can make a difference,” said Public Service Director Mark Kelsey. “It takes 95 percent less energy to make a new aluminum can from a recycled one. One person, or family, really can make a difference with each recycled can, bottle, paper, plastic jug and carton.”
Dame won the First Cart Contest for the first phase of RecyColumbus. The contest was promoted using the program’s social media and online tools, including Facebook, website RecycleColumbus.org and email.
The cart Dame received was filled with donated prizes from local organizations and businesses, including: Target, Soldano Blvd. – gift card; MEIJER, Hilliard Rome Rd. – gift card; Columbus Zoo – admission passes; Franklin Park Conservatory – admission passes; Weisenbach – kitchen compost bucket with liners, home cleaning kit with recipes for home cleaning products, tote bags, recycled glass sun catcher and recycled plastic bottle bird feeder; Black Creek Bistro – gift certificate; Basi Italia – gift certificate; Bodega – gift certificate; Luck Brothers Coffee - one pound of coffee; dsolv compostable lawn waste bags starter kit; and Tip Top Kitchen and Cocktails – gift certificate.
RecyColumbus is a program of the City of Columbus Department of Public Service. Visit http://www.RecycleColumbus.org to learn more about collection days, cart delivery or what to put in the cart. Residents can also email 311@columbus.gov or call 645-3111. Find out your yard waste collection day online at http://311.columbus.gov/colorday. Connect online at: Facebook.com/ ColumbusPublicService and twitter.com/ColumbusDPS or search for #RecycleColumbus.
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