Chicago alderman proposes curbside recycling

Chicago Lakefront Alderman Joe Moore has proposed that the city adopt curbside recycling programs, an effort that is projected to cost the city $35 million. According to an article in the Chicago Sun-Times, the proposed curbside pickups would replace the city’s blue-bag recycling program, which has generated a 13 percent participation rate and recycled 8 percent of the collected waste. For nine months, the city has experimented with curbside recycling in a Chicago neighborhood, garnering an 80 percent participation rate; however, Streets and Sanitation Commissioner Michael Picardi says that there is “no revenue source” to expand the program.

If the proposal is approved, the city would have until January 2009 to implement the curbside recycling program.