HomeMy Public PortalAbout140_040_beach recycling agenda itemBACKGROUND:
While the City has improved beach trash and recycling efforts by increasing the number of bins, color-coding them, and providing some signs, contamination of recycling bins
remains problematic. As a result, large amounts of recyclable materials are being sent to the landfill.
Every ton of recycling that can be diverted saves the landfill tipping fee (currently
$49/ton) and conserves resources. Moreover, aluminum cans are a large component of beach recyclables and aluminum is one of the most valuable materials on the recycling market; current
local price is about $.50/lb or $1000/ton. In addition to saving the landfill tipping fee, the City has the potential to generate more revenue than the current single-stream recycling
rebate ($5/ton; predicted to drop or be eliminated) by collecting this material separately.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
We recommend that the City Council take action to improve beach recycling.
Short-term
(immediately)
● Monitor the beach and parking lots during the day, with special emphasis between 14th and 19th Streets, and proactively correct contamination early. Remove contaminates
from the recycling bins and remove recyclables (aluminum cans and plastic bottles) from trash bins. This can be done safely with aluminum grabbers. For an additional level of safety,
special gloves are available that protect from needle sticks and cuts.
● Ensure recycling signs and messages are clear. The blue recycling bins are for aluminum cans and plastic bottles.
Plastic bags and styrofoam are contaminates; they are not accepted in the single stream recycling program and can cause entire loads to be rejected.
● Ensure every beach and parking
lot station contains clearly marked and paired trash and recycling containers so visitors can separate materials in one location.
Medium-term (within next 3 months)
● Perform a cost/benefit
analysis on separate aluminum collection.
Long-term (within next year)
● Develop a plan to collect and sort all recyclables and reusable materials. See the following for information
about a program in Gulf Shores, AL:
http://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2014/08/gulf_shores_digging_into_beach.html
http://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2015/02/gulf_shores_determined_to_keep.
html
● Develop a plan to track actual recycling rates by category of recyclable items (cans, plastics, other metals) to continuously monitor performance and make adjustments in signage,
collection, and sorting