As hundreds of cyclists poured through the Summit City, there was hope that the event would not only bring some exercise and entertainment to the participants but hopefully a changed view of the community in general.FORT WAYNE – Nearly two-thirds of Fort Wayne’s households signed up for the city’s new recycling program, which could lead to a surge in recycling participation and revenue for the city.
Frank Suarez, spokesman for Mayor Tom Henry, said as of Monday afternoon 50,181 homes signed up to receive either a 96-gallon or 48-gallon recycling cart. This represents about 63 percent of eligible city homes.
Suarez said the city expected an increase in participation, partly because the new carts can be collected along city alleys. Residents with alley garbage collection previously had to take their recycling bins to the street curb. He said having one cart instead of two bins is easier for everyone.
City estimates pegged participation of the old recycling program at 34 percent of city households, but the volume was even lower.
A committee created to investigate the city’s garbage and recycling services found that half of all garbage could be recycled, but city residents recycled less than 10 percent of their total waste.
Many cities found that converting to a single large cart instead of two bins increased participation because it’s easier for residents, providing the impetus for Fort Wayne’s conversion. Suarez said the city was hoping to attract 50 percent participation initially and is pleased with the interest.
The new program also allows residents to recycle even more materials. The city now accepts plastics numbered 1 through 7. The previous program only accepted plastics Nos. 1 and 2. The city said this addition will mostly include No. 5 plastics that make up drink lids and food containers and No. 6 products made of polystyrene, such as egg cartons and disposable cups and plates.
Plastic bags, regardless of the number, are not accepted because of problems they cause in the sorting process.
The increased participation could lead to more money for the city because the new recycling contract gives the city a portion of the profit from those materials – a first for Fort Wayne. The city originally estimated it could generate $130,000 from this contract, but that was based on its old participation rates.
It will likely be several months before the city gets a handle on how much volume residents are recycling, but it is likely the city will generate more revenue than expected, Suarez said.
That revenue is kept by the city and used to help finance the cost of the service. The city lowered its monthly garbage rate 24 cents to $11 this year because of the new garbage and recycling contracts with National Serv-All.
According to the city’s website, the first round of cart deliveries has been completed. Now the city is delivering carts to those who registered after the deadline. Suarez said about 1,500 carts remain to be delivered.
About 4,000 homes registered for the program after carts began being delivered in January, Suarez said. Residents can still register for the large carts by going online to www.recyclefortwayne.org and fill out the form, or call 311 to order a cart.
