CITY’S SINGLE STREAM RECYCLING PROGRAM A CONTINUED SUCCESS

- Lawrence Mikolajczyk, Director, Solid Waste Operations

It has been almost six months since the City of Corpus Christi Solid Waste Operations Department kicked off its single stream curbside recycling program.  Officials say all indications are that the program continues to be extremely successful.

 According to Solid Waste officials, last month residents recycled 1,120 tons through the program.  That compares to 241 tons of recyclables collected during May of 2010, which represents a 364% increase in the amount recycled over the same period last year.  “The success of the single stream curbside recycling program thus far demonstrates that the residents of Corpus Christi were more than ready to take this step toward making our city a greener and more progressive community that cares about the environment,” said Lawrence Mikolajczyk, Director of Solid Waste Operations.   “The amount recycled each month has stayed pretty consistent ever since we began the program at the end of January this year.  I would like to thank our residents for doing their share to keep our program on a successful track, and I encourage everyone to help keep the momentum going.  It really does benefit our entire community,” Mikolajczyk said.

According to Mikolajczy, not only are residents continuing to recycle more, but the amount of material that must be separated from those items and sent to the landfill is extremely low, at just about eight percent.  He says that is lower than many other Texas cities.

 Solid Waste officials remind residents that they can make sure the recycling effort is accomplished as quickly and efficiently as possible by following these guidelines:

·       Make sure that the recycling and garbage containers are at least three feet apart, to allow enough room for collection trucks to maneuver.

·       Bag up plastic bags, plastic film, plastic storage bags, plastic bread bags and any other plastic packaging, to prevent them from becoming tangled in the mechanical equipment.

·       Set out the recycling cart between 5:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. on your recycling day, and remove the cart from the curb as quickly as possible (before midnight that same day), after the recycling has been collected.     

For more information, please contact Solid Waste Operations at 826-1965 or at www.cctexas.com/solidwasteservices.