Ever wondered how much recycling the Town of Addison does?
It’s a big number for a relatively small community. Since the curbside collection program began in June of 1992, Addison has diverted a whopping 6,022 tons of recyclable materials that otherwise would have gone to landfills.
Just how much is that? The number represents the combined weight of just under 2,700 Ford Tauruses.
Clearly, Addison residents have taken to recycling as a way of life. In 2009, an average of 51 percent of all single family residences in the Town participated in curbside recycling each week. (According to the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality, a 30 percent rate is considered successful.) Even more impressive is a 90 percent participation rate when the time frame is increased to at least once a month.
Addison’s agreement with Waste Management stipulates that the Town receives 50 percent of all proceeds derived from the sale of recycled items. Not only does that produce revenue, but it also serves to assure that items earmarked for recycling don’t end up in landfills.
“I think we were the first to do that, as far as I know,” Addison Street Superintendent Robin Jones says. “I’ve heard of other towns who’ve partnered with it in the last four or five years. We get calls from other cities who want to start that kind of program.”
So give yourselves a hand, Addison. And while you’re at it, take heart in knowing that your efforts lend a hand to beautification efforts in the Town, since the money goes to support the Addison Arbor Foundation. Last year, recyclables income provided $15,000 to Arbor Foundation programs.
“The Arbor Foundation has helped with awareness about recycling,” Jones says. “They meet regularly and they stir the interest in the community a little bit because they get the proceeds. They’re pretty active.”
In nearly two decades of working with recycling, Jones has seen the program grow dramatically. It all began in the early 1990s with a couple of drop-off sites run in conjunction with a contractor. The limitations of that approach were readily apparent.
“If you have a drop-off site, and you don’t man it, pretty soon you have a dump site,” Jones says. “We had bags of leaves, a roll of carpet, you name it.”
The curbside program, using bins, was implemented in 1992. In the years since, the number of single family residences served has more than doubled, from about 800 to 1,700. (The Town provides bins to residents for recycling. Bins can be obtained by contacting the Public Works Department at 972-450-2840. Items to be picked up should be in the bin and on the curb by 7 a.m. on Mondays.)
The scope of the program has grown as well. Early on, aluminum cans, bottles, newspapers, and plastics 1 and 2 were among the limited items eligible for the bin. Now, phone books, office paper, food boxes (excluding pizza boxes), flattened cardboard, plastics 1 through 7 and empty aerosol cans have been added to the mix.
The Town has worked with Waste Management since 1995. The company picks up garbage twice a week and recycling once, all for one set fee. The contract comes up every five years but can be renewed automatically if both sides are happy with the terms. The Town enjoys some cost certainty, as rates go up and down with the Consumer Price Index.
Making matters even simpler for residents, all items go into one bin, and Waste Management separates them later.
“It has worked well,” Jones says.
So well, in fact, that Addison is impressively ahead of the curve as Texas communities go. Fewer Tauruses in the landfill, plus income for beautification projects, makes for a win-win for the Town.
For more information on Addison recycling, visit the Public Works Department Web page.
Tags: Addison Arbor Foundation, Addison Recycling, Town of Addison, Waste Management
