Participants in Wilmington’s curbside recycling program will have a new schedule to follow this coming week.
Starting Monday, the city will collect customers’ recyclables every other week–breaking from the weekly routine–though not all customers will start the new plan at the same time.
The city has split its recycling-pickup customers into two groups–blue and white. “Blue” customers will begin every-other-week pickup starting the week of Jan. 7, on the day the city normally collects their trash. Service for “white” customers will begin the week of Jan. 14.
To learn your home’s schedule for curbside recycling, click this link and enter your address in the space provided. Click here to view a calendar detailing “blue” and “white” pickup days.
The change–which does not affect regular trash pickup–comes with the city’s recent distribution of larger, blue roll-carts for recyclables, replacing the smaller open-top bins previously in use. Since the swap, in November, the city has seen interest spike in its recycling program, which is voluntary but free to all of the city’s solid waste customers.
“In addition, the amount of materials customers are recycling has increased by more than 36 tons since the new carts started being delivered,” said a bulletin the city posted last week. “The city now has almost 20,000 recycling customers with an overall participation rate of more than 65 percent and that number continues to increase, according to Solid Waste officials.”
The city bought around 20,000 of the cans with $1.1 million in enterprise-fund money, meaning no tax dollars spent.
Under the new pickup schedule, the city expects to save $220,000 annually in manpower costs. (Related story)
Click here for more information about the change and the recycling program.
