For Boston recyclers, no more separation anxiety

“Boston was ranked the third greenest municipality in the U.S. [by Popular Science magazine in early 2008], but we felt that many of our residents were not performing to the [recycling] level we think they can do,” said Jim Hunt, the city’s environmental services chief. “Recycling was lagging behind.”

The program, which was tested in various Boston neighborhoods from May 2007 to July 2008 showed a 50 percent increase in recycling, according to a statement from the mayor’s office. One of the neighborhoods, the South End, saw a 143 percent increase after beginning a single-stream program in October 2007, Menino said.

Recalling when the city had dropoff points for recyclables in the 1980s, Mary Smoyer, 66, of Jamaica Plain and a member of the neighborhood’s now-defunct recycling task force, expressed support for the new system.

“This makes it so easy,” she said. “I can see why it increases recycling so much. The carts are so much easier to move than the small blue bins…I think we have good leadership in the city around recycling. It’s great to see something like this come to fruition.”

The expected increase in recycling should offset the increased cost of having the city’s processor, Casella Waste Systems of Rutland, Vt., separate the recycled items at its materials recovery facility, said Susan Cascino, the city’s recycling director.

Over the next year, the city will deliver about 55,000 new 64-gallon wheeled barrels to residents living in single-family homes and buildings with six or fewer residential units. Jamaica Plain and Roxbury residents will be the first recipients.

“It makes sense to have such a large container because so much more is recyclable today,” said Brooke Nash, branch chief for the municipal waste reduction program at the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Nash said the barrels were a good investment because she has observed an even greater increase in recycling in single-stream municipalities when they provide the barrels.

Boston began considering a conversion from its dual-stream system, in which paper and plastic waste items are separated, to a single-stream system when Casella Waste Systems said it would begin using its materials recovery facility to separate the mixed items, Cascino said.

About 30 municipalities in Massachusetts, including Amesbury, Everett, Norwood, and Worcester, have adopted a single-stream recycling program since 2007, according to the DEP.
Norwood Assistant General Manager Bernie Cooper said the town has seen a jump in recycling participation from about 14 to 30 percent since initiating a single-stream recycling program that provided residents with barrels in October 2008.

Viki Bok, recipient of the city’s first green award and member of the Boston Climate Action Leadership Committee, said she appreciated the city’s recycling efforts.

“We know we should recycle, but it’s not always easy,” she said. “I am proud to live in a city that cares about the environment and makes it easier for us to do our part.”