[GRRN] reply to biweekly

Blair Pollock (bpollock@town.ci.chapel-hill.nc.us)
Thu, 05 Aug 1999 11:03:13 -0400


Kevin: since 1989 we have operated an urban weekly curbside recycling
program that now averages 39 lbs/household per month in our relatively
affluent area, no mixed paper. Our rural biweekly program in the same county
has been operating since 1992 and averages about 14 lbs/hh/month. Both these
weights are divided over all the households in the program. Our urban
program averages about 85% monthly participation. We believe, with only
visual evidence and counts from our contractor, not ourselves, that the
rural biweekly averages about 50% participation. When rural folks (with
their orange curbside bins, instead of the blue ones in urban) are
interviewed at recycling and waste dropoff sites, they say things like

I couldn't wait two weeks between collections,
I was coming to the convenience center anyway to dropoff waste/motor
oil/yard waste/reusables/bulky goods -- so why not bring the recycling,
I lost track of the day,
We had a holiday and therefore a month b/w collections, etc.

Hope this is useful

In a message dated 8/4/99 12:08:05 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
kevin_van_vliet@city.vancouver.bc.ca writes:

<< I am doing some research on the impacts of switching from weekly curbside
blue box collection to biweekly. We are about to implement a curbside
yardwaste collection program. That program appears to make most sense if it
was instituted on a bi-weekly basis. Therefore I want to take this
opportunity to review the recycling program collection frequency. If a
change were ever to occur, having the two programs alternate might make most
sense.

I have little information on Cities that have made the switch from weekly to
biweekly collection, the impact on recovery rates, participation, etc.
There was some discussion in this forum back in 1997, which I will pursue
further. However since that time, does anyone know of new information or
trials that have occurred? Your assistance is appreciated.

Kevin. >>
--------------------------------
Blair Pollock
Phone: (919) 968-2788
Fax: 932-2900
Town of Chapel Hill
Solid Waste Management Department
306 North Columbia St.
Chapel Hill NC 27516-2113