RECYCLING IN PUBLIC SPACES

January 26, 2012

What is Public Space Recycling?

Recovery of recyclables at sites that are open to

the public such as:

• Parks

• Beaches

• Urban sidewalks

• Fairgrounds

• Rest stops

• Public buildings

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Venice Beach, California

Calif.

Parks

The Public Space Arena

Generation & Composition 3

New York City

• Public sources represent 2.5% of total waste

• Recyclable material accounted for ~47% of the contents of public space waste bins

Toronto, Canada

• Public disposes of ~4.4 lbs./capita/year of recyclables in public spaces

Region of Niagara, Canada Venue Composition of total waste generated (approximate)

Parks Recyclables made up ~40% 20% = recyclable beverage containers

25% = pet waste, diapers and illegally dumped household

garbage

Arenas Recyclables made up ~44% 20% = recyclable beverage containers

19% = paper products consisting primarily of coffee cups,

food packaging and paper towels

Streetscape Recyclables made up ~40% 12% = recyclable beverage containers

26% = paper products consisting of wet newsprint, coffee cups

and food packaging

Beaches Recyclables made up ~43% 40% = recyclable beverage containers

47% = food, pet waste and diapers

Value of Public Space Recycling

Public Space Recycling (PSR) Programs create an opportunity to… Recover valuable resources

Reinforce recycling behavior

Address litter and marine debris

Reduce the threat of legislation

Enhance jurisdiction and sponsor reputation

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Public Space Recycling in Canada

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Canadian programs leading the way…

• Quebec Pilot (2008)

• City of Sarnia Pilot (2009)

• City of Halifax Pilot (2010)

First PSR pilot in Canada to include organics collection

• Region of Niagara (2010)

• Manitoba Permanent Program (2010)

CBCRA’s Recycle Everywhere

Industry-managed and funded PSR program

• City of Richmond Pilot (2011)

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Recycle Everywhere, Manitoba

PSR Programs

Performance 6

PSR programs have proven successful in many jurisdictions…

• Quebec, Canada Recovery rates averaging 85% and single location results as high

as 97% for recyclables including aluminum, glass, plastic and gable‐top

• Sarnia, Canada Parks: Average diversion rate of 75% for beverage containers –

73.5% increase over the previous result

Arenas: Average diversion rate of 73% for beverage containers

• Halifax, Canada The waterfront pilot resulted in 95% diversion rate for beverage

containers and combined container/paper diversion rate of 83%

Public Space Recycling in the USA 7

A growing trend…

• Minneapolis

City of Saint Paul and Eureka Recycling public space recycling study and pilot program

• Philadelphia

City launched a major public relations and neighborhood education campaign called "Philly Throws Green"

Installation of recycling containers downtown, alongside trash receptacles

• American Chemistry Council - California

Partnered with Adopt-A-Beach to provide on-the-go recycling on several state beaches and state parks

• Dream Machines - PepsiCo in collaboration with Waste Management and Keep America Beautiful

Provides redeemable Greenopolis points for recyclables

Multiple locations nationwide; 26 in Florida alone

• Coca-Cola & Envipco Pilot Program, Texas

Consumers return beverage containers to Reimagine recycling centers in grocery store parking lots and other public spaces in return for coupons and rewards cards

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Major Stakeholders 8

USA • PepsiCo.

• American Chemistry Council

• Coca-Cola

• American Beverage Association

• Local & State Governments

Canada • Nestle Water

• Canadian Beverage Association

• Canadian Beverage Container Recycling Association

• Local & Provincial Governments

• Stewardship Organizations

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Public Space Recycling in Florida 9

PSR in Florida is currently limited

• Some municipally-sponsored programs exist as well as PSR at large-scale festivals and in State parks

Limitations

• Coverage is often spotty

• Best practices may not be employed

• Lack of consistency

Promising Developments

• City of Fort Lauderdale is introducing several new or expanded public space recycling programs

• City of Kissimmee has installed more than 30 solar-powered waste & recycling stations throughout downtown to reduce litter and encourage recycling

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City of Ft. Lauderdale

American Beverage Association

PSR Pilot Program

Pilot locations:

• Palm Beach County

• Possibly one other county

Goals:

• Measure and improve public space recycling performance

• Create effective, attractive, and sustainable recycling system for beverage containers generated in each host jurisdiction

• Create opportunities for public to manage their beverage containers to reduce litter

• Identify and demonstrate use of functional aesthetically pleasing recycling receptacles

• Increase public awareness of opportunities and convenience of recycling in host jurisdictions

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PSR Best Practices 11

Material Selection

• Consider:

materials currently collected in residential recycling

whether the material is sufficient in quantity to warrant

collecting

whether the material is likely to increase contamination

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PSR Best Practices

Bin Placement Location

Balance convenience of locating along high-traffic paths against reduced access staff and visitors will have when foot traffic is greatest

Place bins where waste is likely to be disposed - not where packaged products are sold

Set-Up

Pair recycling bins with garbage bins to reduce contamination

Place bins side-by-side to maximize visibility of both bins

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PSR Best Practices 13

Bin Design/Selection

• Indoor or outdoor?

• Mobility / access requirements?

• Risk of contamination?

• Risk of vandalism?

• Cost?

• Maintenance requirements?

• Messaging requirements?

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PSR Best Practices 14

Promotion & Education

• Principles

Aim for consistency with messaging of surrounding recycling infrastructure (e.g. at-home recycling)

Strongly brand the program, especially when materials accepted differ from those accepted at home

• Encouraging Participation

Extensive advertising and community outreach at program launch

Signage at sites directing visitors toward recycling station

• Reducing Contamination

Signage should be clear, easy to read quickly (symbolic messaging is most effective), resistant to wear, easy to replace

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PSR Best Practices 15

Servicing

• Train staff so they are aware of risks involved in

servicing bins and of goals and proper procedures

• Consult staff early and often

• Service bins according to need - not according to

schedule

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PSR Best Practices 16

Evaluating Program Performance

• Recovery Effectiveness

Pre and post start waste audits are most important component of

measuring improvement in recovery of recyclables

Conduct a pre-start waste audit to form a baseline for later

measurements followed by regular detailed waste audits based on

analysis of a statistically valid sample of bins that are then sorted

Structured observations

• Cost

Greatest costs are capital costs (bin costs, in particular)

Operational costs are difficult to determine

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