Press Room
CARTSMART DELIVERS ON DIVERSION
Residential Recycle and Compost Tonnages Up Significantly , Garbage Down First Quarter 2011
SAN CARLOS, CA – May 10, 2011 – The numbers prove it - residents in the RethinkWaste service area are taking advantage of the new CartSMART weekly Recycle, Compost and Garbage collection services. Residential single stream recycling tonnages are up by 33.5% during the first quarter of 2011 in comparison to the same period last year. Compost has increased by 28.9% for the same period, and just as significantly, garbage has decreased by 19.8%.
The data comes from comparing the tonnages reported in the first quarter reported submitted on April 30, 2011 by Recology San Mateo County, RethinkWaste's new service provider as of January 1, 2011, against the figures submitted in Allied Waste of San Mateo County's first quarter 2010 report. Allied Waste was the previous service provider whose contract expired on December 31, 2010. The actual tonnage figures are as follows:
| Residential Materials | 1st Quarter 2010 Tonnage | 1st Quarter 2011 Tonnage | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recycling | 8,116 | 10,837 | +33.5% |
| Compost (Organics) | 13,340 | 17,199 | +28.9% |
| Garbage | 18,811 | 15,082 | -19.8% |
"Our 450,000 residents should be extremely proud of their efforts to pitch in and help the environment every day through their active participation in the CartSMART program," remarked Kevin McCarthy, Executive Director of RethinkWaste. "These recycling and compost totals are quite remarkable and reflect in part the simple, smart design of our new weekly collection programs."
The new CartSMART program entails a convenient, three-cart system for residents for their recycle, compost and garbage needs: blue cart for Recycle, green cart for Compost and black cart for Garbage. It includes having single-stream recycling, where all recyclables are placed into one cart instead of having to separate them, and the ability to place food scraps and food- and beverage-soiled paper products with their yard trimmings for composting. What makes the program especially customer-friendly and easy to use is that all three carts are now being collected weekly, replacing an outdated system of every other week collection of recyclables and yard trimmings using a combination of tubs, carts and customer-provided cans for the services.
While the CartSMART residential program is meeting the goals of keeping as much material as possible out of the landfill, businesses have yet to achieve the same positive results as residents related to increasing the amount of recycling. Year-over-year comparison shows recycling tonnages for the commercial sector decreased by 12.3% during the first quarter of 2011. Businesses, however, did decrease their garbage by 8.3% during the same time period.
Increasing business recycling has been a priority for RethinkWaste and its 12 Member Agencies due to historically low numbers. Like residents, businesses now have single stream recycling to make it easier for them to recycle, as well as the option to subscribe to compost services for their landscape and food/kitchen scraps. RethinkWaste will be rolling out a campaign targeted at business recycling later this year, and working with Recology to get more businesses on board.
RethinkWaste
Formed in 1982, RethinkWaste is a joint powers authority comprised of 12 Member Agencies (Atherton, Belmont, Burlingame, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Hillsborough, Menlo Park, Redwood City, San Carlos, San Mateo, the County of San Mateo and the West Bay Sanitary District) in San Mateo County and is a leader in implementing innovative waste reduction and recycling programs. RethinkWaste also owns and manages the Shoreway facility in San Carlos consisting of a permitted solid waste transfer station and a recycling processing facility. The Agency's legal name is the South Bayside Waste Management Authority (SBWMA.) For more information on RethinkWaste, please visit our website at www.RethinkWaste.org.
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