It begins on April Fool’s, but it’s not a joke — as a result of the collapse in the global market for recyclables and the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency’s decision to stop accepting the city’s single-stream recycling, dual-stream recycling will commence Monday, April 1, the city announced March 13.
“This means city residents will be receiving a new tote — blue with a yellow lid, and going forward, recycling will be separated into two totes,” a city press release stated, noting that the totes will start being distributed March 25.
According to the city, paper and cardboard must be put into the new totes and placed curbside every other week. The pre-existing totes will be used for glass, plastic and metal and are to be put out for pickup on the weeks the new totes are not. Trash will still be collected every week. “Businesses that currently receive municipal collection without brown or blue totes will also be switching to dual-stream recycling and should separate paper and cardboard in a separate bin from plastic, glass and metal when it is placed curbside,” the city release stated.
“The industry is changing and we have to change with it,” stated Mayor Steve Noble in the release. “Recycling is an important part of helping to reduce our waste disposal costs and to improve the environment. I want to thank DPW for their efforts to make this transition successful. I also want to thank my Office of Environmental Education and Sustainability for their efforts to keep recycling on the forefront of our minds. This is another important step towards implementing the goals in our Climate Action Plan.”
According to the city release, each home will be mailed information about the change, a new recycling flyer and a new calendar and collection schedule. The new totes will also have labels making it clear what’s supposed to go in them. Also, representatives from the city Office of Environmental Education and Sustainability and the DPW will be on hand to answer questions at a public information meeting at City Hall on Thursday, March 21 at 6:30 p.m.
“DPW works each and every day to provide the essential services needed to effectively run this city,” stated DPW Superintendent Edward Norman in the city’s release. “Recycling is one of those services. This new collection system is going to be a more effective way for us to decrease contamination of our recyclables. We are doing everything we can to make this transition as smooth as possible and we encourage residents to contact us if they have any questions or concerns.”
Questions can be addressed to DPW Dispatch at (845) 338-2114 or recycling@kingston-ny.gov.
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