Washington City to Spend $30,000 to Label Recycling Bins
The City Council of Longview, Washington voted last week to label the area’s recycling bins with $30,000 worth of stickers, reports the Daily News.
The labels will specify what may be put in the container. Officials hope to decrease the amount of trash that ends up in the bins. Items such as motor oil, coffee grounds, kitty litter and lawn clippings contaminate the recyclable material and make it nearly impossible to sell.
Over the last five years, Longview’s recycling program has saved the city about $95,000 a year on landfill fees. If the new labels reduce contamination by 10 percent, the big pricetag for the stickers will be made up in the decrease of landfill fees.
Other options to increase proper recycling, such as education programs and changing the bin color from brown to green, are being explored.
Use Earth 911 to find out what materials are accepted in your local curbside recycling program.
