New programs will likely be needed if Phoenix wants to meet its recycling goals. By 2020, council members want to see 40 percent of waste diverted from the landfill. That鈥檚 going to involve more recycling and composting. And, it will also mean more employees and equipment.
The Public Works Department wants to take a pilot program that offers curbside recycling for tree limbs and grass clippings, known as聽green organics, citywide. During a recent meeting, Ginger Spencer with Public Works said they also want to create a program to collect textiles.
鈥淭he number one item after dirt and broken glass we find in our recycling containers, the blue containers, is textiles,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 clothing, purses, shoes, belts. And so what we want to do is offer an RFP (request for proposal) program where we would get those textiles out of the recycling bins and get them to nonprofits and for-profits that could benefit from the textiles and repurpose them or resell them.鈥�
Tougher enforcement is another path the city of Phoenix might take to meet its goals. While the department emphasizes聽education, Public Works Director John Trujillo said they still spend a lot of time of time and money on materials that aren鈥檛 put in the right containers.
鈥淲hat other cities do is they鈥檒l give them a red sticker, and they won鈥檛 pick up the container,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o, if they put the wrong things in the recycling container, they鈥檒l leave it until the resident removes it and then the city will come back and pick it up.鈥�
For every 100,000 tons of material that鈥檚聽diverted from the landfill, Spencer said the department saves $1.7 million. She said the department has saved money by becoming more efficient, but it faces higher pension, insurance and equipment costs.
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