Page 16 - RV0724

Green Your Routine

Recycling

Getting It Right Matters!

By Mary Herring

Never put ANY plastic bags

in your blue recycling carts

Those plastic bags jam the sorting machine and then need to
be manually removed -- a time-consuming process that can shut
down the machine for a whole day. Those shutdowns cost Fort
Lauderdale $162,000 last year and all the plastic bags you
thought you recycled ended up in the landfill anyway.
Unfortunately, too many residents are still confused about what
can be recycled in the blue recycling carts and sometimes toss in
the wrong stuff.
In an effort to make its curbside recycling program more
efficient and reduce costs, the City of Fort Lauderdale staff and
civic volunteers have started conducting audits of a sample of
recycling carts in many Fort Lauderdale neighborhoods. For
three consecutive weeks in those neighborhoods, workers will
audit (peak inside) the blue recycling carts placed curbside on not belong in the recycling cart. If workers observe more than
the scheduled recycling day to look for any of the following 10% contamination, the recycling truck will drive by that week
materials that should NOT be in your blue cart: without emptying your blue cart.
• Plastic bags/film/wrap and polystyrene packing material Workers will check the same blue carts the second week. If
and food take-out containers the cart still has contaminants, workers will once again note
• Wood and yard waste the problem items on a “Final Notice” tag warning that further
contamination found the third week “may result in the cart being
• Food or other residue left inside of otherwise recyclable removed.”
glass, cans, and plastic
If your blue cart cannot hold your recycling and/or your green
• Household items such as appliances, crockery, utensils, cart is not large enough for your weekly yard waste, you can
tires, syringes, sports equipment, etc.
order an additional blue and/or green cart by calling the city’s
• Tanglers such as cords, hoses, chains, clothing hangers Customer Service Call Center (954-828-8000) to reach the
and textiles Solid Waste & Recycling Office.
• Propane tanks, fire extinguishers, plastic furniture, metal For more information about the Take5 recycling audit,
tools, construction materials, etc. visit: www.fortlauderdale.gov/take5 or contact Mary
If your cart is audited, you will notice a label pasted on top Herring (MHH2003@gmail.com) who serves as Rio Vista’s
reminding you: “no plastic bags in the recycle bin” and “do not representative to the city’s Green Your Routine Program.
bag recyclables”. You’ll also receive one of two tags: “Great For more details on what and how to recycle in Fort Lauderdale,
Job!” if workers don’t notice any contaminants in their cursory please visit the city’s Green Your Routine webpage: https://
peak into your cart, or a “First Notice” tag. The latter is your first gyr.fortlauderdale.gov/greener-government/recycling-waste-
warning and notes which contaminants workers found that do reduction/recycling-in-fort-lauderdale/what-and-how-to-recycle

14 rio vista civic association • www.riovistaonline.com

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