The City of Houston has announced a test “single-stream” recycling program, in which all recyclables can be placed together for pickup. The goal is to boost the city’s recycling rate and to improve the program’s efficiency by making pickup easier for collectors.
The recycling numbers used in the Chronicle coverage did catch our eye:
The long-term goal is to increase recycling participation. A 2008 survey from Waste News pegged Houston with a dismal 2.6 percent recycling rate.
White has said the city’s rate will approach 20 percent after the implementation of new programs. In January, the city began a wood waste recycling program for tree limbs and brush. In the spring, officials are planning to expand yard waste recycling through the use of biodegradable bags.
But single-stream recycling appears to be an increasingly popular strategy for improving participation. Fort Worth and Plano already have single-stream programs.
A single-stream system can more than double participation rates, said Pat DeRueda, president of Waste Management Recycling Services.
So, a waste management expert says single-stream recycling can double recycling participation rates, which in Houston is currently 2.6%. Yet Mayor White claims that this pilot program and a couple of other programs will take the recycling rate to 20%. Is this another case of Senate-candidate math?
