Since the City of Chicago rolled out its Blue Cart Recycling Program four years ago, the regular black trash cans in the alleys have not been filled, according to a few aldermen whose wards participate in the initiative.
Since the City of Chicago rolled out its Blue Cart Recycling Program four years ago, the regular black trash cans in the alleys have not been filled, according to a few aldermen whose wards participate in the initiative.
The city started the Blue Cart program in 2005 on the Southwest Side in the Beverly neighborhood with fewer than 1,000 homes. Now, about 241,000 households in portions of 29 wards throughout the city participate.
Residents in the program are given a blue 96-gallon recycling cart — that sits alongside the regular black cart in the alley — to throw out recyclables such as paper, cardboard, plastics, glass, tin and aluminum, said Matt Smith, spokesman for the Streets and Sanitation department.
“Once people started using the blue carts, they find they have more blue cart garbage than regular garbage that goes in the black cans. Oftentimes, a household will request an additional blue cart and ask for a black one to be taken away,” Rosalind Moore in Ald. Leslie Hairston’s 5th Ward office told the Defender. She handles the blue cart program in the South Side ward that includes portions of Hyde Park, Woodlawn, Jackson Park and South Shore.
The Blue Cart program costs $21 million each year, according to Ald. Carrie Austin (34th), chair of the City Council’s Budget committee.
In Beverly where the program kicked off with 700 households, Ald. Virginia Rugai (19th) lobbied for her ward to pilot the program.
“We felt we could show the rest of the city that the blue cart was easy to use and the best choice for all Chicagoans,” said Rugai, the chair of the council’s Energy and Environment committee.
Rugai has seen the same success as in Hairston’s ward, with more recyclable material separated and put in the blue carts, Rugai said.
While the program has been hailed as a success in Beverly and portions of Morgan Park, Rugai said there has been a hiccup — removal of yard waste. It must be separated from regular garbage and is also picked up under the recycling program, however, it must be in a bag and placed next to the blue or black carts.
“Sometimes it’s missed by the trucks. I’ve made it a point to make bright green stickers that states “Yard Waste” so my residents can put them on carts they specifically use for yard waste. Oftentimes, it’s on a black cart that doesn’t get much usage,” Rugai said.
The stickers have been working, she said.
A portion of Ald. Willie Cochran’s 20th Ward, Woodlawn, has blue carts and he’s seen an enthusiasm with the usage, however, not as much as he hoped. The message about the importance of recycling hasn’t necessarily hit home, he speculates.
“Many of my constituents are very excited, but on the other hand I have some constituents that could care less about it. That could signal the education and vitality of recycling hasn’t fully filtered through our community the way it should. When you look at the importance of it, everyone should be taking part in it,” said Cochran.
______
To read the rest of this article, subscribe to our digital or paper edition. For previous editions, contact us for details.
Copyright 2009 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
About Post Author
