Report: Double investment as way to increase recycling participation

Washington, D.C.-based The Recycling Partnership recently released a report that shows Northwest Arkansas should double its investment in recycling as part of efforts to increase curbside recycling participation and tons collected by 2030.

With support from the Walmart Foundation, The Recycling Partnership spent one year studying area recycling data and interviewing area leaders and solid waste officials.

According to the report, 60% of single-family households in Northwest Arkansas have access to curbside recycling collection, yet 117,000 tons of recyclable materials are sent to landfills each year. Meanwhile, 52% of residents are satisfied with their recycling service, while the national average is 74%.

The report includes recommendations to achieve a 25% increase in recycling participation and tons collected by 2030. Key factors to enable this include a financial commitment, political buy-in, system-wide collaboration and robust recycling data.

The financial commitment is about $53 million. The existing regional investment is $26 million, so an additional $27 million needs to be invested over the next five years. Half, or $13.5 million, will cover the capital and engagement expenses, including residential collection infrastructure and technical assistance needs. The remaining $13.5 million will cover the expanded operational cost.

Some of the recommendations to increase recycling participation include replacing recycling bins with carts, upgrading collection trucks to launch automated service and offering standard processing contracts for communities. Also suggested was evaluating whether to collect materials such as glass, polypropylene, aseptic cartons or PET thermoforms.

The report also provided recommendations to increase participation in multifamily and commercial recycling, including implementing and testing best practices, creating a proof of concept and collecting data. Only 37% of multifamily developments in Northwest Arkansas have “equitable recycling service,” the report shows.

Another recommendation was for solid waste districts to lead an education and outreach program with consistent messaging and accurate service information for participating communities. The report also suggested consolidating the two solid waste districts into one and finding local uses for the recyclables collected, rather than selling them out of state.