Recycling changes mean an end to most City drop-off points

As the fait accompli that is the change to City-provided biweekly curbside recycling via roll-out carts continues to, well, roll out, we learn more and more all the time about the changes.

Friday's announcement: the arrival of the big rollcarts means the end of several recycling drop-off stations serviced today by Tidewater Fibre, the contractor being displaced under the plan. The centers will close Friday, July 10, just ahead of the July 13 switchover to the new residential recycling program.

Per the City's press release:

According to Donald Long, director of the City’s Department of Solid Waste Management, multiple reasons are behind the closure of all but one of the recycling drop-off centers.  “With the introduction of our new curbside recycling collection service beginning the week of July 13th, we anticipate that the use of these centers will decrease significantly,” Long said. 

“In addition, since these centers are not staffed, only a minimal amount of usable recyclables are recovered from these locations, mainly due to contamination of what’s left there.  Add to this issue the rampant illegal dumping that occurs in addition to considerable staff time used in keeping the sites clean.  When we take all of these factors into consideration, we believe it is just not a good use of our taxpayer dollars to keep these centers open, especially since the new 95-gallon recycling roll-out carts should eliminate the need for these centers almost completely.”

[T]he only drop-off center that will remain open after July 10 is the City’s Waste Disposal and Recycling Center (Transfer Station), located at 2115 East Club Boulevard, Durham.  The City’s Waste Disposal and Recycling Center is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. until 12 p.m....

The Durham County Convenience Centers continue to be operational and city residents can bring recycling only to the County centers at no charge.

Personally, I'll miss the convenience of a recycling drop center at Northgate Mall, which was particularly handy for dropping off broken-down cardboard boxes. I've been hesitant to leave, say, shipping boxes for TVs and other electronics at curbside on the premise that it advertises the presence of goodies to burglars.

(Note to self: advertising presence of same to thousands of blog readers is a little more exposure, but then, I doubt there are many kleptomaniacs among our readers -- though I've got my eye on you, Michael Bacon.)

I've never seen garbage dropped off or filling the bins at the Northgate center, though I do go there only three or four times a year. It's certainly possible to imagine this being a problem given the unstaffed nature of the business.

It'll also be interesting to see how much business the County picks up from Durham city residents at their convenience centers. The cost of such services are of course covered in the county taxes all of us Durhamites pay -- though we would imagine that Mike Ruffin and crew have typically budgeted their own services costs for these recycling centers on the assumption that it'd be mostly residents outside the city limits using them.

That said, the BCR household is looking forward to the roll carts. We've typically kept today's small recycling bin outdoors by the garbage cart, carrying out recycling on Fridays for regular collection. It'll be nice to get recycling out of the house and into the bin more frequently, one less source of clutter around our very cluttered abode.

Comments

[GreenLantern]

When I got my new computer, I had the same reservations about advertising my new toy, so I just folded the carboard boxes inside out. I suspect you will have to fold big boxes over many time to get them inside the 95-gallon container. I don't think they'll get out and pick them up any more.

[Todd P]

Wow Kevin - You get new TVs and electronics 3-4 times a year? Your house must be burgler heaven.

[Kevin Davis]

@Todd: Ah, the two aren't quite that closely related. We use the recycling drop off centers for a variety of reasons, some of which has been getting rid at last of old moving boxes we've had for years (incl. original electronic boxes) -- or for purposes like getting rid of a bunch of bottles and cans after a party. So not necessarily new purchases!

[emily]

Kevin, how will this affect the recycling center that is behind the Kroger on Hillsborough Road (or used to be there at least)?

If that location is no longer in service this is a moot point, but I remember several years ago when I was a senior at Duke, my friend used to load up her car with recycling from people in our apartment building on 9th Street and drive it to the Kroger recycling.

It seems most of all of the apartment complexes in Durham don't provide any mechanism for residents to recycle, and the big drop-off centers are a catch-all for this. My last apartment in Durham (I moved a year ago) did provide recycling areas by the trash, but most of the apartments, especially those that primarily service undergraduates (who tend to have a heavy load of cardboard boxes, cans, and bottles, in my opinion) in Durham seem not to offer this. Unlike many larger metropolitan areas (for example, Cambridge, where I now live and where there is a city ordinance requiring landlords of houses/apartments/etc to provide each and every resident with a recyclables container and disposal method -- mine is the basement), I don't think it is an ordinance in Durham.

Just my $0.02 on why I think this may be a bad idea.

[Kevin Davis]

@Emily -- yes, the Hillsborough Kroger station is closing, along with Northgate's, the Villages, Southern Boundaries Park, Heritage Square, and of course the TFC location on Hoover Rd.

Hopefully someone from the City can speak to the issue of apartment complexes?

[Teresa]

Everyone needs to contact city or county officials to learn more, and express concerns or suggestions for improvements, and also get in touch with their property managers of multi-family housing/apartments.

Curbside recycling is definitely a huge improvement over drop off facilities, deserving of support, but more changes can be made, and that might be part of the plan over time. I've recently learned about Orange County's comprehensive recycling program that does service apartment complexes and some business as well and other areas are starting to look to them as a model. Most solid waste program managers are very receptive to constructive public opinion and information/idea sharing.

I've recently moved to NC (Wake County) and have a strong interest in waste diversion so I've been checking out the various recycling situations in the State. :)

[Teresa]

Also, if larger reusable cardboard boxes are a concern at the curb, you may want to consider posting their availability on Craigslist or Freecycle. I often see people post and accept boxes for moving pretty quickly. Reusing items that still have some life left is an even better alternative to recycling.

[Scandi]

Those big boxes are also really good for sheet mulching your garden!
http://www.permaculture-exchange.org/sheet.html

[Peggy]

One of my frustrations at the moment regarding all of these changes is how they're being communicated to the general public. I received a postcard in the mail talking about the solid waste changes, but there was no mention of the closure of the recycling drop-off locations, and no mention of the yard waste changes. Issuing press releases is all well and good, but how is the average citizen supposed to find out about these things? I have a feeling that come mid-July, there will be a lot of confused (and probably angry) people in Durham.

[Buck Slippe]

Re: communicating changes to the general public

Read the inserts in water/sewage bills, the scoop's always communicated that way.

[Amy Blalock]

To learn more about any of the Solid Waste changes taking place the week of July 13th visit the City’s Web site at www.durhamnc.gov/departments/solid/recycle_curb_collection.cfm or contact Durham One Call at (919) 560-1200.

You can also tune into "City Hall This Week" to learn more - either episode #76 or the new episode (episode #77 begins June 22) on Time Warner Cable channel 8. If you don't subscribe to TWC, you can still watch this news show "on demand" on the City's Web site at www.durhamnc.gov/dtv8/CityHallThisWeek.cfm.

Finally, your new recycling cart should arrive with more information attached and you will receive more information about the upcoming changes in your July/August water bills.

[AlexandriaCook33]

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