You Can Recycle That! A check up on the Single-Stream Recycling system.

The city's new single stream recycling program is nearly seven months old, and it is time to check in and see how the program is doing. The new program allows residents to place all of their recyclables into one tidy bin, rather than sort their materials into two boxes. This program is very impressive for a few reasons. First, it is free, which makes this program accessible to every city resident. But also, it is intended to greatly improve Grand Rapids' environmental footprint by substantially increasing collection. Many seem to be excited about the program, from residents to city officials. 

 

While the old program was not very hard to use, the single stream is still an improvement over the old two-bin system. Obviously, it was not the end of the world to have to choose which bin to put your empty milk carton into, but any way to make recycling easier is a way to increase collection of recyclable items. 

 

The program isn't just for convenience, it is projected to dramatically increase collection as well. Dennis Kmiechik, the manager of the new recycling center on Wealthy Street, said, "We expect to collect around 30,000 tons of recyclables, compared to the 12,000 tons we have collected in earlier years." The program has already taken in 10,000 tons since it began in August. Kmiechik went on to say that the new facility is intended for residential recyclables not industrial waste, and it is important to watch what you put in your bin. If you have an item that should not go into the bin, contact the city, because they can usually arrange something to take care of the items. 

 

Luke Kuzmanoff, a resident of the city’s Midtown neighborhood for just over two years, says that he really likes the new approach because “I never used to recycle, but the new system is so easy to use that I would be a fool not to use it. I'd say about 80 percent of what I throw out goes into the bin and I’m down to about two bags of trash a month now." Luke went on to say, “when the new cart was given to me, my interest in recycling suddenly spiked.”

 

Many other residents shared the same feelings, and for a lot of people this program has prompted them to recycle for the first time in their lives. 

 

According to Barbra Small, the Administrative Services Officer for the city of Grand Rapids, the program is a wild success. "We are adding almost 100 people to the program each week," she said "and we have almost 42,000 residents recycling now." That is a 7,000 person increase since the program began in August. 

 

Aside from being easy, the program has a good model to promote recycling: pay for your trash, but the recycling is free. It even makes sense to people who are not big into the environment, like Alix Willman, who lives in Eastown. “I’m all for saving the environment and everything,” said Willman, a junior at Aquinas College, “but I definitely would not recycle so intensely if it weren’t free. I’m pretty cheap, and the $1.50 per bag is enough for me to put everything I can into the bin.”

 

But not everyone has been so receptive to the program. Some are simply not motivated to recycle, so they just don’t. Empty recycle bins can sometimes be seen sitting empty in friends' and neighbors' yards. One particularly lonely bin near the GVSU downtown campus sat all winter with more snow in it than recyclables.

 

Also, there has been some dissent similar to fellow Rapidian reporter Mark Rumsey's concern about people leaving their carts in places they shouldn’t be left. It's great the bins are being used, but just put them behind the house during the week.

 

This is a great program the city offers, and it is working very well. Any real problem the program has may only points to people's laziness, not any real problems with the system. Clearly, it is not possible to have 100% participation in the recycling program but it is possible to recycle 100% of your appropriate items. This program is important to the city and to the environment, so please recycle everything you can by taking advantage of this awesome program!