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| Photo by Tim Faulkner/ecoRI news |
By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI News staff
JOHNSTON — The new statewide recycling program will have a new name and a new start date to ensure that it runs smoothly, according to the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC), which operates the Central Landfill.
There are no technical glitches, but the launch of Rhode Island's single-stream recycling system has been moved from late April to mid-June to allow for more testing, RIRRC officials said.
The program also will go by another name. "Single-stream recycling" will eventually be replaced by a term that makes it clear trash should be kept separate from recyclables. In the new system, all plastic and paper will combined either at the curb or at a business.
The landfill's $17 million sorting machine is operational, and pilot testing with at least two communities will soon start.
The goal of single-stream recycling is to dramatically increase the volume of recycable items collected, thereby extending the life of the state landfill. The new sorting machines can bundle a variety of plastics, such as coffee cups and yogurt containers. Selling bales of these plastics to recycling processors is expected to bring in additional revenue to the RIRRC and participating cities and towns.
The extra time before the rollout allows municipalities and waste haulers adapt to the new system, and get the word out to residents. Each municipality, which typically works directly with an independent waste hauler or collects recycling itself, must decide how to adopt the changes. At the curb, the two-bin system can continue by simply combing recyclables in one bin. None of the containers, however, should be larger than the current 22-gallon blue bin, unless the the collection trucks use an automated arm to empty recycling containers.
Many recycling trucks currently have two bays for holding paper and plastics. Single-stream will help save fuel by allowing both chambers to be filled with a mix of recyclables, thus reducing trips to the landfill.
Municipalities and waste haulers will have to decide if they want to spend money on new vehicles and bins.
At a March 22 meeting at the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, waste haulers were given an overview of the single-stream project. Director of recycling services Sarah Kite explained that recyclable plastics should be categorized by shapes, like bottles and jugs, instead of the Nos. 1-7 system.
A statewide mail and marketing campaign with the program's new name and information about the new recycling system is planned for a June launch.
Some recycling changes will include:
Lids. Plastic coffee cup, coffee can and deli container lids will be accepted.
No more scrap metal. Pots, pieces of metal, old nails and small appliances like toasters will not be accepted. Check with you local DPW to see if they have a dedicated collection for these metals.
"Oops" stickers. Waster haulers will put stickers on curbside items that can't be recycled. A phone number on the sticker will ask residents to call their local department of public works for information.
Two gallons max. All plastic bottles, buckets and jugs can only have a capacity of 2 gallons or less.
Take-out containers and plastic platters and covers will be recyclable.
Stays the same:
No plastic bags. Wrapping newspapers and bottles in plastic bags eventually gums up the conveyer belts of the sorting equipment.
Rinsed. Jugs and bottles like peanut butter containers should be empty and rinsed, but do not need to be scrubbed spotless.
Glass. Under the old and new system glass doesn't get recycled. It's used for a daily landfill cover.
Soda and beer packaging. Cardboard boxes for beverages and six-pack holders cannot be recycled dues to a chemical that prevents them from getting soggy. "You can't pulp it down," Kite said.
Plastic bits and plastic toys and furniture. Keep them out of the current and new recycling system. Check with your local DPW about a rigid plastics drop-off. RIRRC also takes these odd items at the landfill's drive-up area.
No styrofoam. Also, no straws, pens, toothbrushes, magnets, motor oil bottles and metallic paper.
Yes to aluminum and tin. Foil, cans, paper milk bottles, juice boxes and square Tetra Paks.