Press release from the City of Fort Wayne:
Mayor Announces Distribution Plan for New Recycling Cart
Residents will begin receiving the new recycling cart starting Jan. 3(December 28, 2010) – Mayor Tom Henry announced today at a press conference that city residents will begin receiving the new, all-in-one recycling carts beginning January 3.
Approximately 600 to 800 new recycling carts will be delivered daily on scheduled recycling days. Each week areas in all quadrants of the City will receive new carts. The distribution schedule is available at www.recyclefortwayne.org.
Once carts are delivered in a neighborhood, residents may no longer use the yellow and brown recycling bins.
Only Fort Wayne residents who signed up for the recycling program will receive carts. Everyone is encouraged to sign up by January 2 to ensure they receive a new, all-in-one recycling cart. City residents who would like to participate in the new recycling program may sign up even after crews delivered to their area; however, it will take an additional three to four weeks for delivery. To minimize delays, citizens are urged to sign up now.
“Requiring sign up helps us to coordinate how many carts to order and how many residents are planning to participate in the new program,” said Mayor Tom Henry.
Initial distribution is scheduled to continue until April 2011. During that time, residents who wish to receive a cart may register by calling 311 or signing up online at www.recyclefortwayne.org. New recycling carts are available in two sizes, 96-gallon and 48-gallon. The City encourages residents to select the 96-gallon size.
“Based on the expanded list of recyclables including plastics numbers one through seven, Styrofoam and juice cartons to the program, as well as bulky cardboard boxes, the larger cart will make recycling even easier,” said Bob Kennedy, director of public works. “We hope the convenience and the revenue we’ll generate as a City encourages maximum participation from City residents.”
Residents may keep their current yellow and brown bins, reuse them for another purpose, or after receiving their new recycling cart, may leave their bins on the curb and crews will collect them within 72 hours.
More than 45 percent of Fort Wayne residents have signed up for a new recycling cart, which is nearly 10 percent more than those who currently recycle.
“The recycling program is designed as a win-win for the City,” said Mayor Henry. “The City of Fort Wayne will receive 50 percent of the profits generated by the sale of recyclable materials. Just as we were able to reduce the garbage fees for residents in December, we expect the success of this new program to generate additional savings for the residents in the future.”
Until residents receive the new, all-in-one recycling cart, they are required to continue sorting their recyclables in the yellow and brown bins. However, everyone will be eligible to recycle the additional plastics, numbers one through seven, beginning January 3.
“Some residents have asked if they can throw away trash and recycling together in the same cart,” Kennedy said. “While they will find the recycling program encompasses a majority of their household waste, we will still be using one cart for garbage and one cart for recycling. The new recycling cart will replace the yellow and brown recycling bin system that is currently in place.”
The new recycling cart has a yellow lid and an embossed image listing items accepted with the recycling program. Black lids will still be used on standard garbage carts for City residents.
Sign up for the program is available at www.recyclefortwayne.org or calling 311.
Click on the map to download a copy of the distribution areas and times
Related Images:
