The City of Lawrence is stepping up its recycling efforts with the launch of a new social media education campaign aimed at reducing contamination in the community鈥檚 recycling stream. With contamination levels rising and posing significant financial and safety risks, the City is encouraging residents to recycle smarter and help protect both the environment and the hardworking teams managing waste and recycling.
Recycling contamination鈥攚hen non-recyclable or improperly prepared items end up in the blue recycling carts鈥攊s becoming a growing challenge for Lawrence. Every year, the City鈥檚 recycling materials are audited to ensure compliance with contamination limits set by our recycling partner, HAMM, which operates the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) that processes Lawrence鈥檚 recyclables.
In November 2023, the City鈥檚 contamination rate was 10.7%. However, by October 2024, that number had risen to 17.3%, exceeding the acceptable threshold and triggering additional fees.
鈥淭his increase in contamination means we鈥檙e not only facing higher costs but also more risks for our solid waste staff,鈥� said Ron Green, General Manager of Solid Waste. 鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing too many prohibited items 鈥� batteries, electronics, cellphones, sharp metals, and even vaporizers and vape pens 鈥� entering the recycling stream. These items can cause fires, serious injuries, and equipment damage at both our facilities and HAMM.鈥�
To help residents recycle correctly and reduce contamination, the City has been actively working on several initiatives, including:
- Updated Cart Labels: Recycling carts across Lawrence are being updated with new cart inlays that clearly outline recycling guidelines and include a QR code linking to the City鈥檚 Recyclable Materials Database. This tool provides information on how to properly dispose of items that do not belong in the blue bin.
- Social Media Education Campaign: Through the City鈥檚 Facebook page, the new campaign will feature engaging and informative posts with recycling tips, highlighting common contaminants like batteries and electronics, and offering advice on how to prepare recyclables correctly.
- Continued Community Engagement: Residents can access educational resources, including a celebratory video marking 10 years of curbside recycling, and find information on accepted materials at lawrenceks.org/recycling.