Recycle system gets positive reviews

Published 12:05 pm Thursday, December 11, 2008

By Kevin Hanson

The Courier-Herald

A new approach to recycling - new to Enumclaw, anyway - has been deemed successful in its early stages.

In two neighborhoods so far, the city has provided big, blue, rolling recycling containers, similar to those used for yard waste. They have replaced the traditional small bins that get placed at the curb every other week.

The "all in one" approach kicked off in early June in The Meadows, a 58-unit subdivision on the city's west side, and was expanded in July to the 80-lot Mount Peak Village subdivision.

Early reports from those areas are positive, according to Public Works Director Chris Searcy, who recently provided an update to the City Council.

Another shipment of the 96-gallon carts has been received, Searcy said, and it's expected that about one-third of the city's customers will make the transition to "blue cart" recycling by the end of the year. The 2005 city budget included $45,000 for purchase of the wheeled carts, which total about $50 each.

Added to the system last week was the neighborhood between The Meadows and Warner Avenue, bordered by Enumclaw High School on the east and 244th Avenue Southeast on the west.

The biggest advantage of the new system, Searcy said, is it eliminates the need for residents to separate recyclable materials. All types of paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, aluminum and tin are tossed into the container, which is wheeled to the curb for pick-up every two weeks, on the same day as garbage collection. Advocates of the program point out that the bin protects materials from wind, rain and animals, while also giving residents a bit of privacy. Searcy said he has heard from residents who appreciate the fact that neighbors cannot see what they're disposing of.

The destination for recyclables is the same under both the new and old programs. Materials are hauled to a Waste Management facility in Auburn, where the city pays $30 per ton to dump, and then shipped to the Cascade Recycling Center in Woodinville, where everything is mechanically sorted and processed.

The operating being introduced in the city is identical to the system operated by Waste Management in the unincorporated areas outside Enumclaw.

Kevin Hanson can be reached at khanson@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/courierherald.