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GreenYes Digest V98 #166
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Loop-Detect: GreenYes:98/167
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Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1998 15:48:35 -0400
From: Blair Pollock <bpollock@town.ci.chapel-hill.nc.us>
Subject: GreenYes Digest V98 #166
Regarding public recycling areas:
We are not a big city but have several pedestrian oriented containers in
downtown Chapel Hill. They are custom-designed to fit into the Town's
streetscape and the first one had to fit within the historic distric
commission's design guidelines. Hence they are costly ~$3,000 to build, but
very attractive and sturdy brick and metal containers. Brick was donated by
Cherokee Sanford, local brick mfr who uses contaminated soil in their brick
making. So they have a little sign on the containers for credit.
Containers have six slots one for each of three colors of glass, news, metal
cans and plastic bottles. We service them once or twice a week. The bins
are well used but sometimes overused by nearby small restaurants esp. coffee
shops that don't have plastic milk bottle recycling. SOmetimes the holes are
plugged by the milk jugs. i.e. these are high maintenance. We can send those
who want architectural sketches of them. We get very little litter or
non-recyclable items in them. We checked area garbage cans before and after
placement of these pedestrian containers and there was a 25% decline in the
amount of recyclables in in the garbage on the block the containers are
located on. The downtown waste bins held 40% by weight recyclable materials
from our 1992 hands on waste sort of forty downtown containers. No bottle
bill in NC. (probably never)
ALSO -- UNC Chapel Hill has just begun its "Walkway Recycling" program which
is also targetted at the casual passer by with the can, bottle or paper,
they are using more conventional carts. Check with them for the details, I
don't know if this is on their website.
My casual checks into pedestrian bins in other places where they are just
non-descript roll carts chained to a utility post show a random mix of trash
and recyclables. I believe the containers have to be distinctive yet
integrated into the passerby's landscape the same way we've done with litter
containers.
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End of GreenYes Digest V98 #167
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