UH's curbside recycling gets successful start

UH's new curbside recycling program is saving the city money.

First reviews of the new University Heights curbside recycling program are in, and residents are crushing it. Not only are residents recycling, they are recycling right.

Under the former recycling program, the city was paying $105.92 to have a ton of recycling collected.

Under the new program, residents are recycling so well that, in January 2025, Waste Management will rebate the city $16.75 per ton of recycling.

An audit from Oct. 1 through Dec. 4 of last year shows that University Heights residents are taking advantage of the new opportunity to recycle cardboard boxes, with cardboard making up 28.76% of all materials recycled. Under the previous program, it was difficult and inefficient to recycle cardboard.

In addition to cardboard, residents are recycling paper (28.87%) and glass (16.51%). The most valuable recycling commodity, aluminum, comes in at 2.38%.

Residents are also mostly recycling properly, by filling their carts with items that can be recycled and by keeping contamination (items that cannot be recycled) low.

The acceptable industry standard for a contamination rate is under 20%. However, in just the first months of the new program, University Heights residents have exceeded expectations with a contamination rate of just 10.22%, quickly leading the region among municipalities that pick up recycling from residents.

Residents can work to make the contamination rate even lower by keeping plastic bags out of their recycling bins. Plastic bags cannot be recycled by Waste Management. Plastic bags should not be used to hold recyclables; items should be placed directly in the carts without a bag. Residents are asked to dispose of plastic bags with their rubbish, or take them to any grocery store that accepts used plastic bags.

“I am thrilled with the initial results of our curbside recycling program,” said Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan. “Residents are crushing it, as I knew they would.”

The city may achieve further savings for the program by encouraging more residents to participate in the program, and providing continued education on the items that may properly go into the carts.

Mike Cook

Mike Cook is the communications and civic engagement director for University Heights.

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Volume 18, Issue 2, Posted 12:31 PM, 01.31.2025