Dive summary:
- In an effort to increase recycling efforts, waste haulers in Granby, Conn., with help from the Save Money and Reduce Trash (SMART) program, have made a few easy changes that have increased recycling rates by 30% and saved the town $60,000 in the first year.
- The biggest problem was the recycling bins were smaller than the waste bins, by increasing the size of the recycling bins and decreasing the size of trash containers they saw a significant rise in recycling.
- The second biggest contributor was providing backyard composters to those who want it, the city buys them for $53 each, then to subsidize the cost, they sell them to residents for $35.
From the article:
As Granby’s recycling efforts continue to evolve, new ways to recycle items are continuously sought, including a backyard composter available for residents, according to Recycling Coordinator Sally Crapser.
Granby uses the Save Money And Reduce Trash (SMART) program. It has made the trash system into a bit of a utility, in which some aspects are “pay as you throw.”
The town is also emphasizing recycling to the point that recycling containers distributed to town residents are larger than trash containers. ...
