Slog
News & ArtsWednesday, June 27, 2012
Enviro Seattle Is Getting Better at Recycling
Posted by Dominic Holden on Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 11:59 AM
Seattle Public Utilities shares the good news via e-mail: "For the eighth straight year, the city’s residents and businesses have recycled more than the year before. In 2011, Seattle’s overall recycling rate reached an all-time high of 55.4 percent, bringing Seattle closer to its goal of diverting 60 percent of generated municipal solid waste from the landfill through recycling and composting."
That's up 1.7 percent from last year, while our land-fill use dropped by 4.8 percent. The city credits: mandatory food waste service at 6,100 apartment buildings and condos, grants to promote recycling, phone book opt-our program. Yay, Seattle!
Here's a table that shows our 10 years of previous progress:
- SPU
- Recylcing rates among various sectors of the city.
But we're not, like, the best or anything. Seattle is far ahead of New York (where recycling rates are actually declining to a depressing 15 percent of the solid waste stream), but San Francisco is more than a full score ahead.
1
I'm seeing your overall rates up, but self-haul down—a good sign for sure, but what was the catalyst for the downtick (note that big drop in self-haul in 2010)? Did some local recycling centers close, or was there new regulation that effected scavenging?
2
I live in an apartment building that has a teeny-tiny recycling bin. People stop using it because it always overflows before it gets picked up. WTF!!!!
3
Sanfrancisco is behind Seattle in recycling. They just count it differently. Seattle counts three sectors: residential, commercial and self haul. Sanfrancisco also counts construciton and demolition debris which have very high recycling skewing the total. ABC (Asphalt, Brick and Concrete) are all recyclable and nearly all from C&D. Seattle does not count C&D as part of the Municipal Solid Waste but instead manages it as a seperate stream.
In addition, SF also considers Alternative Daily Cover (ADC) as a legitimate recycling use which SPU does not. ADC is when something is ground up or composted and used to cover up a landfill. so the stuff winds up in a landfill anyway but counts as "recycling" in SF. There are other examples. suffice to say that if SF counted recycling the way Seattle does then the SF rate would below Seattle's.
In addition, SF also considers Alternative Daily Cover (ADC) as a legitimate recycling use which SPU does not. ADC is when something is ground up or composted and used to cover up a landfill. so the stuff winds up in a landfill anyway but counts as "recycling" in SF. There are other examples. suffice to say that if SF counted recycling the way Seattle does then the SF rate would below Seattle's.
4
I do more than my fair share of recycling. But when the city takes away my plastic bags, which implies "You cannot be trusted to recycle those items, so were going to ban them", kinda makes me not want to recycle. Whats the point when they'll just ban the product?
NOTE: Thanks to the plastic bag ban, I now have to switch to Amazon Fresh and if enough people switch, its going to put a small dent in the cities budget, not to mention sales at the QFC I normally frequent.
NOTE: Thanks to the plastic bag ban, I now have to switch to Amazon Fresh and if enough people switch, its going to put a small dent in the cities budget, not to mention sales at the QFC I normally frequent.
5
Pope peabrain- Multi family recycling is largely up to your landlord. The manager needs to set up proper recycling and can do so by calling spu at 684-7665. They are also required to supply tenants with compost service. If you do not have that service there is a possibility that the building is exempt (especially if it is an older building).
6
@4 Seriously?
No, you are not being forced to switch to Amazon Fresh because of the bag ban. You are choosing to switch to Amazon Fresh because you are throwing a temper tantrum over a silly little plastic bag ban. Grow up.
No, you are not being forced to switch to Amazon Fresh because of the bag ban. You are choosing to switch to Amazon Fresh because you are throwing a temper tantrum over a silly little plastic bag ban. Grow up.
7
Once they make throwing recyclables a full on crime, and somebody gets a SPD beat down for failing to comply, I'll know we are on our way to utopia.
8
@3 - San Francisco also probably has at least double (probably more) the commercial floor space in its downtown core than Seattle, the waste of which is easier to deal with (I work in SF's largest building, which claims to recycle 75% of all its waste).
That, coupled with some a smaller city footprint and fairly draconian refuse rules on the books—I'm not sure I can buy your claim, difference in metrics aside. What is the penalty in Seattle for not sorting you compost correctly, or leaving your bins out after pickup?
Plus, regular garbage here just pretty much ends up on the street, so that doesn't get counted.
That, coupled with some a smaller city footprint and fairly draconian refuse rules on the books—I'm not sure I can buy your claim, difference in metrics aside. What is the penalty in Seattle for not sorting you compost correctly, or leaving your bins out after pickup?
Plus, regular garbage here just pretty much ends up on the street, so that doesn't get counted.
10
@2: Do you have a compost bin? I think the requirement of compost bins in apartments and condos of a certain size is probably responsible for a lot of this.
11
The UW has an even higher recycling rate. It's all those exempted apartment and retail complexes that drag Seattle down.
12
@10 Yes we do. And they get used. It's the collection bins. They never get picked up quickly enough.
13
when will Seattle switch to recycling every week (vs. every other) and garbage pick up every other?
@4 - paper bags? re-usable bags? Plastic bags are definitely not the only (nor the best) way to transport groceries.
@4 - paper bags? re-usable bags? Plastic bags are definitely not the only (nor the best) way to transport groceries.
14
I don't understand. How will the city's budget lose money due to your switching to Amazon Fresh?
Also, the principle is Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Recycling is all well and good, but the other two are even more important. The plastic bag ban reduces waste.
Thanks to the plastic bag ban, I now have to switch to Amazon Fresh and if enough people switch, its going to put a small dent in the cities budget
I don't understand. How will the city's budget lose money due to your switching to Amazon Fresh?
Also, the principle is Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Recycling is all well and good, but the other two are even more important. The plastic bag ban reduces waste.
15
#14- While most food is exempt there are still some things that are sales taxable. I assume that is what the poster referrs to.
#8- I suppose we could say the cities' mutual rates are on par with each other.
Seattle has few penalties for poor recycling or for not following the rules. I know of no one ever receiving a ticket - certainly not one that actually stuck followng a visit to the magistrate. SPU normally goes through lengthy outeach efforts and rarely triggers enforcement proceedings for residential customers.
The only laws surrounding commercial recycling are around OCC (cardboard), paper and yardwaste. Other bans are being considered.
SPU encourages recycling largely through the rate structure that makes recycling and composting a much better deal than garbage. That and it really does seem like recycling is in Seattle's DNA.
On the books, the penalities for residential fines are around $50 and commercial fines (like for using styrofoam) are in the $250-$500 range. The real PITA for the customer is when the hauler won't pick up your container because of contamination. Often incentive enough to manage one's waste correctly.
#8- I suppose we could say the cities' mutual rates are on par with each other.
Seattle has few penalties for poor recycling or for not following the rules. I know of no one ever receiving a ticket - certainly not one that actually stuck followng a visit to the magistrate. SPU normally goes through lengthy outeach efforts and rarely triggers enforcement proceedings for residential customers.
The only laws surrounding commercial recycling are around OCC (cardboard), paper and yardwaste. Other bans are being considered.
SPU encourages recycling largely through the rate structure that makes recycling and composting a much better deal than garbage. That and it really does seem like recycling is in Seattle's DNA.
On the books, the penalities for residential fines are around $50 and commercial fines (like for using styrofoam) are in the $250-$500 range. The real PITA for the customer is when the hauler won't pick up your container because of contamination. Often incentive enough to manage one's waste correctly.
16
@15,
I still don't see how sales tax factors in. Amazon is based in Seattle; any non-food Amazon Fresh purchases are subject to sales tax.
I still don't see how sales tax factors in. Amazon is based in Seattle; any non-food Amazon Fresh purchases are subject to sales tax.
17
#16,
I suppose you're right. I was just fishing for a reason.
#12- Your container is probably picked up on a residential route and that is once every two weeks. Larger or more containers are available.
I suppose you're right. I was just fishing for a reason.
#12- Your container is probably picked up on a residential route and that is once every two weeks. Larger or more containers are available.
18
We can do even better! 37.7% of residential waste is compostable (2010 study) http://www.seattle.gov/util/groups/publi…
Plus, I'd love to see a pilot program to compost pet waste at city dog parks.
@13, there is a pilot project beginning next month for twice monthly landfill pick-up. I don't think they're planning to increase recycling pick-up.
Plus, I'd love to see a pilot program to compost pet waste at city dog parks.
@13, there is a pilot project beginning next month for twice monthly landfill pick-up. I don't think they're planning to increase recycling pick-up.
19
Here is the New Subgrarian Town.
Across the street from my hotel in Fort Collins.
https://picasaweb.google.com/11613498017…
A mall. A town square. A plaza. Wide sidewalks. Bike lanes. And even a dog park.
The cities...cannot compete!
Across the street from my hotel in Fort Collins.
https://picasaweb.google.com/11613498017…
A mall. A town square. A plaza. Wide sidewalks. Bike lanes. And even a dog park.
The cities...cannot compete!
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