Southwest Minneapolis has adopted a simple recycling system according to which recycling bins will be delivered to households in blue carts. Mayor, R.T. Rybak said that the initiative was a move toward collecting more recyclables.
“Big Blue” movement
“Big Blue” is the name of the recycling movement given by Sandy Colvin Roy, a City Council Member. This single–sort recycling movement aims to simplify the recycling process.
The recyclables from the recycling bins are just dumped into the blue carts. Residents are not required to separate plastic, glass, or metal before placing them into the bins.
St. Paul had a dual sort recycling system about eight years ago; it involved placing paper and other items into separate bins. In this system, collection trucks had to have separate chambers for collection.
The trucks had to collect two containers of recyclables from each household. The system failed as it was expensive and did not improve the recycling rate. On the other hand, the single–sort recycling system simplifies trash collection by ruling out the necessity for trucks with multiple compartments.
Recycling trash to produce eco friendly promotional items
Though about 20 percent of solid waste in Southwest Minneapolis is recycled, the numbers haven’t changed for quite some time. Mayor R.T. Rybak, however, aims to make Minneapolis the best recycling city in the whole of America.
The amount of material recycled has to be almost doubled by 2015 so that it conforms to the state’s demand for a recycling rate of 45 percent. But, achieving these goals will be hard if the city retains its present recycling rate.
In the newly initiated recycling program in this city, residents are required to place bottles or cans into the blue bins only after rinsing them thoroughly. At the recycling centers, care is taken to keep the recyclables free from contamination.
Minneapolis has signed up a contract with the Waste Management for the sorting process. The recycling activity would take place in the large recycling facility at Broadway Avenue.
One of the disadvantages of single–sort recycling is material contamination, as it would result in increased residual waste and hike up the processing costs. But use of advanced technology has greatly minimized residual waste and created opportunities for producing eco friendly promotional items.
Steve Kotke, the Director of the Minneapolis Public Works, said that expenses are also reduced with single–sort recycling process because lesser vehicles are sent out to collect recyclables and solid waste disposal is substantially reduced. Other cities such as Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Portland have already recorded a substantial increase in recycling rates due to the single–sort recycling systems.
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