Columbus homeowners will have curbside recycling in 2012. The plan calls for every-other week pick up of paper, plastic, glass and metal, then the opposite week will be for yard waste. 65-gallon bins will be delivered to 220,000 households, so people can roll their recyclables to the curb.
- "We are under-achieving in terms of recycling, we need to increase that dramatically and we have the potential to do that with this new system," said David Brehm City of Columbus Green Team Member.
According to Mayor Michael Coleman, 60 percent of the trash we put in the landfill could be recycled and only 5 percent of Columbus households recycle.
"This has got to change and we are going to begin that change by the city's bicentennial, two years from now," said Coleman.
More than 4,000 people filled out a survey online or mailed to homes by the city. According to the Mayor, the survey results show:
- The public wants to support recycling in the City of Columbus.
- Of those who recycle now, most use the drop box program.
- 63 percent use the city's yard waste program.
- A majority prefer to have recyclables and yard waste collected every other week or less.
- 70 percent said they would prefer a larger cart with a top for recycling, rather than one or two 18 gallon bins.
Jason Wigand lives in Columbus off West Dublin Granville Road, and drops his recyclables off at a nearby fire station.
"My brother-in-law lives in Upper Arlington, so we had a little experience with curbside recycling over there and it worked out well. We're lucky here, because we have some fire houses to go to but over all it would be much more convenient," said Wigand.
People won't pay a fee for the new service, but it will come from your income tax. Until the city puts out open bids next year, the costs for running the curbside recycling program won't be known, but the city expects the costs to be in the millions of dollars. Columbus spends $4 million currently running the yard waste program.
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