By TIM FAULKNER/ecoRI.org News staff
JOHNSTON
— The state’s new single-bin recycling program is exceeding expectations. Rhode
Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) recently reported that the volume
of recyclable materials increased 7.5 percent in July from a year ago.
Sarah Kite, RIRRC's director of recycling services, said
the phone calls she fields from residents and businesses leads to her to
believe that single-stream recycling is taking hold in Rhode Island. “The
awareness of recycling is much higher,” she said.
Under the new program, paper, plastic and glass is
combined in a single collection bin, barrel or Dumpster. Additional plastic
items, such as plastic yogurt containers and coffee cups are recyclable.
The new $16.9 million sorting device, within RIRRC’s
materials recycling facility, went online in June. At full capacity, the
machine is expected to process an additional 70,000 tons of recycling a year.
The statewide advertising campaign for “Recycle
Together RI” paused in August, but will resume in September as
schools look to learn more about the new program.
Kite said that communities, such as Burrillville, that have replaced the
standard blue and green bins with new, larger curbside ones are inclined to
collect more recycled items from residents. Providence plans to switch to
larger bins in the near future.
Here are a few lesser-known
recycling tips and facts:
Don’t flatten aluminum
cans and plastic bottles. The new sorting machine considers flat items to be
paper, therefore flattened bottles and cans often end up in the landfill.
Beer bottle caps are
too small for the recycling sorter to detect, and end up with the trash. To
solve the problem, place metal caps and lids in a metal can up to a third full.
Bend the top of the can closed and put the can in the recycling bin.
Plastic containers more
than 2 gallons should be cut in half or quarters before tossing them in
the recycling bin. Don't cut them smaller than the size of a bottle, and make
sure the pieces aren't flat. This allows containers larger than the
2-gallon limit to get recycled.
CD cases can't be
recycled. DVD cases can be recycled.
Dunkin' Donuts lids should
stay on or inside the cup before recycling. Screw-on lids for
plastic bottles and plastic jars should also be lightly replaced on their
containers before recycling. Lids can't be recycled unless they are on their
containers because they are too small to make it through the RIRRC's recycling
machine. They literally fall through the cracks.
Cling wrap is
trash. Bubble wrap can be recycled with plastic bags at
retailers, not at the curb.
Aluminum
cans are ideal to recycle as they are
one of the few items that can be re-made into the original product. Recycling
cans also requires 95 percent less energy than it takes to make new cans.