Program hopes larger barrels fix poor recycling habits

By Jessica Bartlett, Town Correspondent

Energy Smart Quincy hopes to streamline its Single Stream Recycling program by distributing 3,000 large recycling barrels to Hough’s Neck and Merrimount residents, a pilot program that is testing the city's theory about larger barrels.

In essence, the question is: will people recycle more if given bigger barrels?

Part of the city’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, the pilot program will only being administered to Ward 1, and is only one thing the city has been doing to increase environmental consciousness.

If anything, recycling has been on the mind of Quincy officials for a while, and with due cause.

According to John Sullivan, Trash and Recycle Manager at the Department of Public Works, Quincy only recycles 17 percent of its waste, whereas other towns recycle up to 25-30 percent.

What Quincy residents don’t realize is that they pay for whatever trash they accumulate, Sullivan said. Recycling more would not only bring back money for recycled goods, but would end up saving the town money.

“We do 30,000 tons of trash a year in Quincy … and if we divide equally…it’s like 6000 tons a year per ward,” Sullivan said.

According to Sullivan, it costs roughly $90 per ton of trash thrown out. At roughly $540,000 a year just to throw away trash, the economic incentive alone is worth upping the recycling ante.

Already, Quincy has made improvement to its recycling programs.

Implemented in 2008, Single Stream Recycling, or being able to put all recyclable material in one container, had increased recycling up by over 600 tons in FY09.

And with this new program, Quincy officials hope to see a similar step in numbers.

“If people start [recycling], even if it’s just a 10 percent decrease in waste tonnage, which isn’t a lot, we’re saving 10 percent savings, which would be $300,000. And we’re also getting $10 a ton [for recycled material],” Sullivan said.

“It costs you money to throw away trash …that’s been my message for three years, and I don’t think a lot of people realize that,” he said.

Mayor Thomas Koch agreed that the incentive for families to recycle is huge.

"Increasing our recycling makes sense for our environment, and it makes sense financially. Reducing the amount of trash we produce is a major priority and we hope these new barrels will help us get toward that goal," Koch said in the press release.

Mayoral spokesperson Chris Walker said he hopes the program will do well so that it may be implemented in other Wards of Quincy, though to do so would require funding outside of this grant.

The program will take $50,000 out of the $881,000 in federal stimulus money the grant awarded. The remaining funds will go towards other energy goals, including synchronizing the traffic lights to mitigate the effects of idling cars, and hiring an energy manager, who will be charged to reduce the city’s energy output by 20 percent.

According to Walker, the city is in negotiations right now with someone to be the manager, and a contract will be signed off on by the end of the year. In addition, traffic synchronization will be out to bid within the next month, Walker said.

All in all, Sullivan said he would continue to push the recycling mantra.

“You have to stay out in front of the public with the recycling messages. If you don’t keep out front, keep pounding them with the message, they forget about it,” he said.