10 Things You Need to Know for the Waste & Recycling Industry Today (October 28, 2014)

Rahm Celebrates Blue Cart Anniversary With New Recycling Deal “The mayor celebrated the first anniversary of extending the Blue Cart recycling program citywide Monday by announcing a new partnership with a firm specializing in food and beverage cartons. The Department of Streets and Sanitation has formed a new pact with the nonprofit Carton Council. According to the Mayor's Press Office, the firm will engage in a ‘robust citywide recycling outreach and educational campaign focused on encouraging residents to recycle their food and beverage cartons.’” (DNAInfo)

Drug Manufacturers Responsible for Waste Management “Pharmaceutical manufacturers in San Francisco are now required to dispose of unused post-consumer medicine as the city and county of San Francisco becomes the third municipality in the US to introduce extended producer responsibility (EPR) legislation for pharmaceuticals. Alameda County, California (2012) and King County, Washington (2013) are the other two.” (Environmental Leader)

Recycling main focus of Northern Colorado's The Green Team “The University of Northern Colorado’s Green Team is spreading the message of going green by bringing students and recycling together. The Green Team is a non-profit that introduces recycling to students and the community. From marketing strategies to interactive lessons, the Green Team is starting to gain recognition for its efforts. The program is composed of seven group leaders: president, event coordinator, marketing coordinator, publisher, project manager, street team and survey. These students work together to inform people of the importance of recycling.” (The Mirror)

APS Recycling will shut down amid legal dispute “A bitter legal dispute over the ownership of a scrap yard in Stroudsburg has resulted in one of the borough's most colorful businessmen being put out of a job. On one side of the dispute is the family of a former co-owner who hanged himself on the property of his business — APS Recycling — in 2009. APS, which sits alongside Interstate 80 in Stroudsburg, will close its doors Nov. 1. On Nov. 18, the equipment at the site will be auctioned off.” (Pocono Record)

North Salem Adopts Single-Stream Recycling “North Salem has adopted a new single-stream recycling plan that is expected to save the town at least $75,000 a year and lower the town's tax by 1.4 percent. As of Sept. 1, City Carting has started to take all recyclables from North Salem to its new plant in Stamford, Conn., where the recyclables will be sorted and resold to companies that need raw materials to make new paper, metals and plastics. This process is called single-stream recycling.” (North Salem Daily Voice)

Landfill expansion: $1.5 million for 22.9 acres “With about 25 months left on the county’s current landfill lifespan, Macon County commissioners voted during the October meeting to move forward with allowing the solid waste department to purchase two parcels of land totaling $1.5 million. As an enterprise agency, the funds to purchase the property will come from the solid waste department, and not from the county budget.” (The Macon County News)

Recycling in Palm Beach County creates $842K in revenue “The numbers are in and they show Palm Beach County residents recycled more than 87,000 tons of recyclables that otherwise would have wound up in the landfill. The added bonus:  that's been turned into cold cash back to your cities.” (WPTV.com)

Augusta to explore single-stream recycling with Portland company “The city could offer residents single-stream recycling, in which users don’t have to separate different types of recyclables from each other, for as little as $10,400 a year. Lesley Jones, public works director, told city councilors who discussed the proposal as part of efforts to improve recycling options, the city could contract with Eco-Maine, a Portland area waste and recyclables firm, to place single-stream drop off containers at the public works department off North Street and Hatch Hill landfill.” (CentralMaine.com)

New Waterville trash program exceeds six-week goals “The city has reduced its solid waste tonnage by 55 percent and saved $20,874 in disposal fees in the first six weeks of the new trash collection system, according to the company that manages the program. Joshua Kolling-Perin, director of public engagement for Waste Zero, said the city’s target was to reduce the trash collected by 44 percent and save $15,800 during the first six weeks. Under the pay-as-you-throw program, the city has already exceeded those goals, he said.” (CentralMaine.com)

North Carolina MRS facility receives safety award “Metal Recycling Services (MRS) has announced that its Whiteville, North Carolina, scrap metal facility has received the Safety & Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) designation from the North Carolina Secretary of Labor. The company says the facility was recognized for its commitment to creating and maintaining a safe and healthy workplace.” (Recycling Today)