Single-stream recycling helps go-green efforts

The switch to single-stream recycling has bolstered the city?s efforts to go green, but sustainability coordinator Scott Timm says there?s more work ahead to reach the goals outlined in Fairfield?s strategic plan.

The amount of recycling collected by Waste Management increased 56 to 132 percent in the first four months of the single-stream system, which supplied each home with a much larger 96-gallon cart. Instead of the prior average of 28 tons per month, recycling totaled 46.93 tons in November, 65.04 tons in December, 47.39 tons in January and 43.77 tons in February.

Waste Management spokeswoman Carrie Spencer said, ?I would say the city of Fairfield is above average. It?s definitely been a priority for the community.?

She anticipates a continued climb as people become more aware of the additional items that can go into the single-stream recycling carts.

?We?re doing really well with increasing our recycling,? Timm said, adding the strategic plan set the goal at 75 percent by December 2012. ?We?re meeting that goal in that respect.?

The plan also calls for decreasing the amount of waste sent to the landfill by 25 percent.

Southeast Iowa Multi-County Solid Waste Agency Landfill records show an increase in Fairfield?s residential waste each month this fiscal year over last fiscal year. Through February of this fiscal year, 2,444 tons of residential waste was sent to the landfill ? for the same period in fiscal year 2010, tonnage totaled 1,831.

Still, the average increase in waste during the first four months without single-stream recycling was 41 percent and 29 percent in the four months after.

?It seems like the recycling piece is working, but we need to work really heavily on finding ways to divert waste streams from the landfill,? Timm said.

He?s working with wastewater superintendent Ellen Myers on a composting program.

?They currently have about 210 tons of compost that they?re looking to move,? Timm said. ?We?ve been studying a number of other communities, and we?re creating a plan to do larger scale composting for Fairfield. That would, I think, make a significant difference if we were really trying to reduce the amount of organic material going to the landfill.?

He pointed out the end of the semiannual trash pickups also will make a difference in reducing landfill waste.

In July 2009, Fairfield officials reported the city footed the bill for 2,446.91 tons of trash at the cost of $145,850 since spring of 2006, when the city switched to collecting trash alternately from the north and south sides of Fairfield.

The city?s road crew hauled away an average of 136 tons of refuse each fall and spring, creating spikes in SEMCO?s tonnage reports: 345.35 tons in October 2008, 435.51 tons in May 2009, 309.91 tons in October 2009 and 425.97 tons in May 2010.

Timm said those lamenting the loss of the recycling aspect of the trash pickups should look for alternatives, such as the Fairfield freecycle/buycycle page on Facebook.

Timm said the 2010-2011 fiscal year may be the appropriate baseline for measuring the reduction in solid waste because it marks the start of single-stream recycling and the end of large-scale trash pickups. A baseline has not yet been established.

?It looks like our population is staying pretty stable, and I don?t think that?s going to be changing very much,? Timm added, noting Waste Management added 111 homes to its collection routes this year.

Further goal?s of the city?s strategic plan include 100 percent participation in recycling, 50 percent diversion of waste from the landfill by 2014 and 95 percent reduction in waste by 2020.

?I think if we?re seeing already between a 56-75 percent increase in recycling, it is really possible,? Timm said. ?We have a community that is really interested in participating and making things better.

?It?s not just about recycling. We have to focus on composting. We have to focus on reducing packaging and materials that people are using. And we have to focus on educational programs,? he said. ?We have to take a multi-pronged attack at this if we?re really going to achieve the goals.?