BGA Investigates Chicago’s Recycling Failures

A Better Government Association (BGA) investigation has revealed systemic failures in Chicago’s Blue Cart recycling program. Now, two city aldermen are demanding examination aimed at improving the city’s recycling programs.

Two resolutions cited in an October 2018 BGA investigation exposed “lackluster oversight and revealed how tons of recycling is diverted to garbage dumps by Waste Management, Inc., which stands to profit when contents of Blue Cart bins are sent to landfills instead of recycling centers.”

Block Club Chicago has more:

Two Chicago alderman on Wednesday called for separate probes into the city’s impotent recycling programs, citing a Better Government Association investigation that revealed how one waste hauling contractor is often paid extra to divert Blue Cart contents to its own dumps.

The two competing resolutions — introduced by aldermen Matthew Martin, 47th, and Raymond Lopez, 15th — followed Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s recent announcement that the administration plans to study ways to improve Chicago’s worst-in-the-nation recycling program.

Lopez, a frequent critic of the mayor, even called for investigations by federal and state law enforcement agencies in addition to council hearings.

Read the full article here.