Participation in program up over 40 percent, while trash collection steadying

By Marcial Guajardo

Managing Editor

While less than a quarter of the city recycled goods in early 2010, participation has hurled upward more than 40 percent since then, a representative for the city’s waste collection and recycling company recently noted.

Gerry Rieger, division manager for IESI’s North Austin Division, on Jan. 24 told Pflugerville City Council members the city has been recycling at a clip of 12.5 tons a day. That broke down to 3,262 tons in 2011, compared to just 600 tons for all of 2009.

The city’s recycling program is still fresh, having rolled underway in February 2010. While city growth can account for some of the spike, participation – from just 22 percent of the city in January 2010 to 66 percent last month – undeniably is up, Rieger noted.

“We continue to grow,” Rieger said. “It’s been phenomenal the growth that’s happened and how … everybody has bought into what we’re all trying to do to be responsible.

“It’s the thing to do now … recycle.”

Rieger noted trash pickup has pretty much steadied, from an average of 64.7 tons daily in 2010 to 67.4 tons daily last year. He added IESI saw a quick drop in trash consumption in March 2010 – the second month of the city’s participation in the voluntary recycling program – but didn’t have numbers readily available.

City Council Member Brad Marshall noted the process of recycling has been made much easier by IESI’s move to the 95-gallon bins currently in use.

“The best thing you ever did was go from the small bins to the big ones,” said Marshall, “because that’s made it easy. Now it’s so easy that [recyclables] far exceeds the other trash we’re generating.”

“Every now and then I can skip a trash day but I can’t skip a recycling day,” added Council Member Starlet Sattler.

Rieger noted the possibility that, one day, the city may reach the point where recycling pickup is done weekly while trash collection is every other week – the opposite of the current schedule.

The mere mention of such a switch, however, brought about a shudder from Council Member Darelle White, who noted that has been a topic of concern among residents.

“Please no emails … we’re not going to every other week trash pickup,” White noted. “I cringed, kind of, when [Rieger] said that.”

What may lie ahead is a commercial recycling effort on IESI’s behalf, Rieger noted. The company is close to developing a commercial recycling program that uses dumpsters, he said.

“We want to go after the commercial business,” he said. “Hopefully, it’ll be something the city will embrace, as well.”

IESI currently has almost 4,000 containers in use in Central Texas, Rieger noted.

During the presentation, the topic of recycling education also came up, with Mayor Jeff Coleman calling for a renewal of education efforts and consideration of IESI’s “marking” of residences without recycling bins. That would allow, Coleman said, the city to then educate those who aren’t recycling currently.

Rieger noted the effort might be a possibility.

Also coming up was the topic of composting. The city currently does not have a measure in place to handle the composting of leaves left curbside in plastic bags.

“If they’re in a plastic bag, they’re very, very well preserved in the landfill – that’s what it boils down to,” City Manager Brandon Wade said of leaves placed curbside for pickup.

City officials noted the possibility of creating a composting education effort to prevent this from occurring.

And, on the subject of education, Marshall suggested the city target schools to get the word out about its recycling efforts.

“I know my kids are the best police in my house,” he said. “You’re embedding strong practices with the kids, that will pay dividends down the road.”

What’s in a company name?

Rieger noted IESI company officials have considered a name change and recalled a chamber function in which someone wondered aloud about the sequence of letters in the name.

“They said, ‘What is it: IE-IO … IE-what?’ They can’t figure it out.”

In response to the issue, IESI has undergone a rebranding effort, to include a new logo and gradual rollout of trucks carrying the moniker of its parent company, Progressive Waste Solutions. Residents, however, won’t have to worry about changes to their collection bins, he noted.

Why can’t you recycle pizza boxes?

During last month’s meeting, City Council Member Brad Marshall put out the question that many may have been wondering: “Why can’t you recycle pizza boxes?” – a question he had been asked by his children.

“It’s the grease,” Rieger answered. “We’ve had people cut the hole [around the grease]…”