If someone places a single, nonrecyclable item like a plastic bag or an electrical cord in a recycle bin, the entire truckload of materials may become contaminated and sent to a landfill rather than being repurposed for another use.
David Motley, Waukegan’s director of public relations, said drivers for city waste hauler LCR — the company replaced Waste Management on Dec. 1 — may not check every recycle bin before loading its contents into the truck, but one improper item can impact the load.
“The number of loads taken to the recycling center are (increasingly) being redirected to the landfill,” he said. “One item that cannot be recycled can contaminate the entire load in the vehicle.”
Waukegan begins a citywide awareness campaign Monday — which happens to be Earth Day — to motivate residents to place only recyclable materials like paper in their recycle container, and place the rest in a trash bin to reduce the volume of items going to a landfill.
Mayor Ann Taylor said in an email, Earth Day is a good time for residents to be mindful about the items they throw in the garbage, and the things they set aside for recycling. The city has specific guidelines provided by LCR.
“I firmly believe it is all of our duty to keep our corner of the world green and prosperous for not only us, but the generations to come,” Taylor said. “Thank you in advance for being conscious of these guidelines, and being a positive role model for our beautiful community.”
Motley said LCR recently made city officials aware of the increasing number of items, like Styrofoam or food scraps, being found in recycle bins when they instead belong in garbage cans. The uptick in items going to the landfill alarmed city officials.
Dan Goldstein, LCR’s executive vice president for business development, said in November drivers take garbage directly to a landfill. Recycling trucks come back to a facility in Northbrook for sorting. Contaminated items are removed there and are sent to a landfill.
Should one of the LCR drivers find an improper item in the bin, they will take it but leave a sticker informing the resident there was an improper item within, according to information on the city’s website. The process will be repeated for a second occurrence.
If an inappropriate item is found a third time, a sticker will be left but the bin will not be emptied, according to the policy. The resident will then be required to pay for a special pickup to have the container with contaminated material removed.
When the driver finds contaminated material in the recycle bin a fourth time, the container will be removed from the property. Ald. Lynn Florian, 8th Ward, takes issue with that plan.
“I hope they can find an alternative to removing the recycling bin,” Florian said. “It’s a sad thing if people are unable to recycle.”
Not a plan to penalize but to educate, Motley said multiple warnings will hopefully get people in the habit of learning which items should go where. Punishment is not the goal, he said. Instructions are on the cover of the recycle containers.
“Our hope is it does not come down to removing the container,” he said. “This is why there are four levels of warnings.”
Florian, a strong advocate for environmental issues in the city, led the effort to end the practice of balloon launches. She is also pushing legislation that will prohibit the use of plastic bags in retail stores.
“I’m a huge proponent of recycling,” she said. “I encourage everyone to participate. We need to do it.”
Though residents have received code enforcement citations from the city for not properly dealing with waste in the past, Motley said the department will be involved with education in this case, not enforcement.
Recyclable items include steel and aluminum containers and foil, paper (not shredded), glass, plastics like bottles, tubs jugs and jars, as well as cartons containing milk and other beverages, according to the website
Besides plastic bags, scrap metal and Styrofoam, electronics, wood, propane tanks, items that can tangle like cords or ropes, clothing, food and yard waste cannot be recycled, according to the website.
