All in one, one for all All in one, one for all (February 11, 2004)

City may offer residents and businesses easier way to recycle

by Jocelyn Dong

If sorting glass bottles from aluminum cans has never been your forte, you may be in for some help, courtesy of Palo Alto's Public Works Department.

"Single-stream recycling," already being tested in five neighborhoods throughout the city, allows residents to dump all household recyclables into one big, blue bin -- instead of four separate plastic crates.

City staff are hoping to gain City Council approval in March to take the program citywide.

Glenna and Joe Violette's Crescent Park home is one of about 2,500 households that's been part of the 16-month-old pilot program.

"We think it's a great system," Joe said. "It makes it much easier for us."

Previously, they had more newspapers and mixed papers to recycle than the 18-gallon plastic crates could hold each week. They'd sometimes end up throwing out excess newspapers with the trash, or driving them to the recycling center, Joe said.

Now, they have a 96-gallon wheeled bin, which takes all of their old papers along with cans, foil, plastics, glass, cartons and cardboard.

"It works well," Glenna said.

Citizen demand to simplify recycling was the impetus for the program, according to Wendy Hediger, the city's recycling coordinator.

Residents get one blue bin for recyclables and a twin green bin for yard trimmings. Scrap metal, batteries, motor oil and oil filters can still be put out separately.

A survey of pilot households taken last spring showed satisfaction with the test. Ninety-three percent of survey respondents said they preferred the bins to the crates.

If there are downsides to the mixed-recycling program, they are small compared to the benefits, Hediger said. The "residue" rates -- the percent of non-recyclable items that people throw in -- are higher for people using new carts than the old crates. But the figure is still only about 5 percent of all of the items, she said.

Ironically, even though 59 percent of survey respondents said they recycle more with the new method, Hediger said she didn't believe the actual volume of goods has appreciated significantly.

"They're already doing an awesome job recycling," Hediger said of Palo Altans.

In addition, costs to the city may increase because it will be responsible for sorting the recycled goods. Currently, mixed recyclables are brought to a processing plant in San Leandro, where they are separated using both machines and human labor. However, Hediger pointed out, the program may be able to save in labor costs. Since each bin is picked up mechanically by a truck, rather than manually, fewer PASCO (Palo Alto Sanitation Company) workers will get injured. Also, only one truck is needed to pick up recyclables from the bins; two trucks are needed with crates. (A second truck still must pick up yard trimmings, however.)

Another problem has been residents parking their wheeled bins on the sidewalk for pickup, blocking the path. At last week's council meeting, one councilmember suggested placing a sticker on the side of the bins to remind residents to keep the pathway clear. Although the Public Works Department already promotes that message through its newsletter, Hediger said she would consider putting it on the bins. However, a process called "hot stamping" -- imprinting into the plastic -- would be preferable to a sticker, which peels and bubbles over time, she said.

Some changes may be made to the program before it is proposed citywide. One improvement would be made in the size of the carts offered. Participants in the pilot received 96-gallon carts, but the city may offer 32- and 64-gallon sizes as well.

In addition, some items that are being accepted during the trial may no longer be so in a few months. The city was allowing residents to recycle more plastics than usual to see how feasible it would be to process and sell them, Hediger said. Results of those tests are still being determined. If you have questions about the Palo Alto Recycling Program, call (650) 496-5910. Jocelyn Dong can be reached at jdong@paweekly.com.

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