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I'm trying to get a suitable recycling program set up in my community. Trucks used to come by every house to pick up the recycled materials that people collected, but now they replaced it with a facility that is hardly open. Their hours are too short, and most people do not want to take the trip out there. The elderly people have trouble reaching over the bin to dump the materials. It's been several years now, and nothing has changed. The town is expanding due to urban sprawl, and it would be nice to have an adequate recycling program. I've contacted city counsil and I'm doing research on government incentive programs towards recycling. If anyone has any suggestions or opinions I am open to it all!


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  • by samy
  • 05/02/2007 At 14:38

hi there ... well i think u need too call the neigbours for day out start with ur local churchs n pubs ... n things     leave leaflets let them be part of a to z    the day u ll meet somewhere and there will be things to do for kids elderly people youth everyone is welcome to say his point of view and of the end of the day i m sure u ll find smart people to look at the basket choose what s gonna work  and add what s missing my god i hope to live n see it come true keep trying where there s comunication there s succes i believe excuse my english x good luck to you

  • by POTHE
  • 24/01/2007 At 12:57
Hi Stephanie,
Firstly it is really great to see that you are taking such a care in your own community.  We would really like to help you as much as we can.  We would like to dedicate a tree to your efforts to try and help you communicate to your community as whole.  The kind of tree we have in mind would involve us developing a special petition tree for you, an online location to use as a base for your project.  This way you can collect signatures, comments and local support to present to your local authorities etc. 

Just an update of what I have been doing!

 

The Market Area Sales Manager responded to some questions I had made. They were all very interesting. Here is what we talked about:

 

1. Your company offers " adaptable options, to help deliver more affordable programs" to the community. What are these options?  Waste Management works with the local community to design a recycling program that meets the needs of the community. The type of material collected and the frequency of collection have a direct impact on cost and affordability. Recycling methods (single stream, source separation, dual stream) also greatly impact the cost of recycling programs. 
 
2.  How has the market for recycled goods changed in recent years? How has it affected the company?
 The commodity markets have been relatively flat over the last several years with the absence of huge pricing spikes or plummets. The stability has allowed for more consistency in the processes and operations. 
 
3.  What is your system or method for researching the market on recycled goods? How often do you check?
 Monthly publications such as "The Official Board Market" and "Waste News" are the most commonly used means of indexing commodity price. Both publications use extensive monthly market place analysis.  
 
4.  When was the single-stream recycling facilities developed? How soon do you estimate that all of your facilities will be converted? Single Stream conversions began more than five years ago. As technology continues to improve, we retrofit existing sites as well as building new ones. Currently we convert 3-4 sites per year based on the needs and desires of our municipal partnerships.  
 
5.  In your opinion, what would be more cost effective: 1. A community with their own fleet of trucks, sending their recycled materials to your material recovery facilities or 2.  A community utilizing your company's trucks?  Waste Management believes that it can provide cost-effective recycling collection services to the communities in its' service area. In general, we have been able to provide collection services at a lower cost than municipal services as we can spread our capital costs over a larger customer base, and be more productive with the routes we run. 
We have worked with many communities over the years to determine which collection system would be the most cost effective given their unique set of circumstances.
 
6.  Has it ever been acceptable under company policy to turn away trucks sent to the material recovery facilities that carried recycled materials which were not properly sorted?  Yes. Each of our recycling facilities performs quality control reviews of material delivered. Unacceptably high levels of contamination drives up cost and can reduce the potential markets for the recycled materials and increase the potential for worker injury and damage to processing equipment. The most effective way to combat this problem is an effective user education program. 
So far, with the information that I am gathering to try to understand the whole situation is that my town could have a suitable recycling system if they really tried. The community as a whole needs to be informed about the importance and the impact recycling will have on the environment.
Also, the city authorities could put forth a greater effort in colaborating with the Waste Management team for our area. The WM team is willing to help.
For the while, I have beem gathering information on the situation. Issues kept unraveling that made the initial concern much deeper. Now, I will try to inform the community on the opportunities they have to make a difference. However, I won't neglect to mention tree-nation as a way of making a difference. I will  put the two together. Let's see what happens!
hey despo, thanks for the input! you might be on to something. I found out, though, that my problem is a little bigger than it seems. The city manager finally responded, and he said that the reason they took it away was for, because they were losing money due to the waste management company. The city would send trucks with recycled material they picked up to orlando (the closest facility in a nearby city, $$), but the waste management company would sometimes turn them away. The reason the WM co. gave was that there wasn't any profit for the materials the trucks were loaded with. Sometimes they would only accept aluminum cans, which didn't return any profits for the city. so basically, all the hard work the citizens would do to recycle would go to waste, because the waste management co. would direct the recycled materials to the landfill anyway. I'm a little stuck now, because I had more hope in fighting against elected officials who are supposed to represent the people. Now, I'm fighting against a profit driven company. I can still try to generate support from the people, write to the newspaper, and put the company on the spot. I don't know how that will hold up though. Anyways, thanks for all your help! I'll try to keep updating on the situation. Take care! Oh and thanks Pothe for spreading the news! It will definately help a lot.
  • by despo
  • 01/12/2006 At 01:10
Hey, I was quite concerned since I read your post a couple of days ago. It's a bit of a shame that the council is not doing anything about it. The members of the council are elected by the people there, no? Anyway, these are some things I thought about... I suppose if the council is not doing anything about it you should try to directly arrange a meeting with the local MP and raise the issue to him/her. Sending a letter to the local newspaper expressing your concerns and requesting for people's support is a must do. If more people express their feelings on the topic to the council there are more chances of something actually changing. Also, passing on a list with alternative ways of gathering the recycling materials to the council wouldn't be a bad idea. For example, recycling bins in every second block or in each area and trucks passing by once or twice a week. Something that can keep the cost down. I suppose the last alternative would be to arrange a meeting for the members of your community and ask if they are willing to initialy contribute towards buying the bins and from there on with a monthy amount that you can use towards renting a truck and employing someone to take the bins to the recycling center every now and then. If anything else comes to mind I'll let u know.
  • by POTHE
  • 29/11/2006 At 13:35
Hi bostonotter, keep trying - i'm gonna use your permalink to let people know about you cause - try it and see if it helps...

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