General Question

SundayKittens's avatar

How do I start a small-town recycling program?

Asked by SundayKittens (5834points) September 2nd, 2009

A few of my tree-hugging friends and I were thinking about how we could start a program here in our town of around 12,000. We thought we could have a drop-off set up somewhere in town, maybe an empty parking lot….but don’t know where to go from there. Any ideas?

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4 Answers

dpworkin's avatar

Because of the recession, recycling is no longer economically viable. Cities and towns that have people separate recyclables are dumping everything together now, because the cost exceeds the return. Sorry, but even Green Thoughts are subject to economics.

gailcalled's avatar

@pdworkin : Our transfer station (12037) still has separate bins for trash, bottles and paper. Maybe it is sleight-of-hand after I leave.

dpworkin's avatar

I am only reporting what I read in the New York Times: the trucks load the recyclables separately, but dump them in the landfill instead of taking them to be recycled.

YARNLADY's avatar

The first thing you need to do is get a source to buy the recycles, otherwise you will end up with a pile of garbage and no place to put it. While you are looking for a buyer, do the research to find out what the state, county and local regulations are for collecting those type of items, and what permits you will need.

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