City of North Miami to residents: We’ll actually pay you for it

Only one city in Florida pays its residents to recycle. Using a program called RecycleBank, the City of North Miami enables residents to earn rewards based on their level of participation. It’s a win-win-win situation, as the city’s rate of recycling has soared, its level of garbage sent into landfill has decreased, and the Earth’s anger at listless South Florida is subsiding.

As a resident of North Miami, I was thrilled to receive my new recycling bin this past February. As large as a trash can, the green bin with the beige lid is the handy all-in-one variety. Everything goes in there: plastic, paper, cans, bottles, cardboard -- even plastic litter tossed in my yard gets tossed inside.

When the bin gets picked up, a small electronic sensor on its front identifies the residence, and the weight inside is recorded. This information is passed on to RecycleBank, which issues points based on the amount recycled. Just like a credit-card rewards program, the more you recycle the more points you earn.

This week I’m expecting my $10 gift card for Panera to arrive in the mail. Many other local businesses participate in the rewards program. You also have the option of donating your rewards to local schools. The RecycleBank website tracks your savings to the Earth, too, claiming that since March my household’s recycling efforts have saved 3.5 trees or 235.5 gallons of gasoline.

The program has been an instant hit in North Miami, enticing 90 percent of eligible households to recycle. Just last year, participation in recycling was less than 20 percent, according to the city’s director of public works, Mark Collins. His primary goal is to reduce the amount of garbage the city pays to have removed. Eventually he hopes the program will translate into lower garbage bills for residents.

RecycleBank’s statistics claim that in the first six months of operation, the diversion of trash has saved the city $44,245, inspiring the City of Hollywood to roll out its own RecycleBank program in February 2010.

Any celebration over increased recycling must be tempered by the reality that a significant majority of residents in metropolitan Miami do not recycle. Two reasons stand out for this state of affairs: Most waste is produced by the business sector, and most businesses do not recycle -- even though they have been mandated to do so by a county ordinance passed in 1992.

Included under the “business” umbrella are condominiums, which are likewise required to recycle but must hire their own service. City and county services only extend to individual residences. The county estimates that multifamily residences such as condos produce nearly 25 percent of the area’s waste.

Recycling simply has not become part of our everyday culture. Think about it -- when was the last time you finished a bottle of water in a public place and were able to find a recycling bin? Not even our parks offer canisters for recyclables. Instead of the convenience and encouragement provided by RecycleBank, in most places around Miami, it feels more like Recycle-Can’t.

Miami-Dade County upped its recycling game last year by switching to all-in-one bins for single-family residences, but this switch has resulted in one dilemma: Where to recycle the tens of thousands old bins? According to the department of solid waste management, those bins can be taken to a trash or recycling center. In other words, do it yourself, which in most cases means it’s not going to happen.

The county is celebrating a record year for recycling tonnage since it began collections in 1990. The county also serves 20 municipalities, including Aventura, El Portal, Miami Beach, North Bay Village, Sunny Isles, and Surfside. Meanwhile the City of Miami’s program claims a 42-percent participation rate. That rate will need to jump to 75 percent by 2020 to meet the demands of a state statute passed in 2008. Guidelines for achieving this goal are due next month from the Department of Environmental Protection.

Some items cannot be collected by regular residential recycling services, but there are ways to designate them for recycling. Consider the following:

Fluorescent bulbs. Due to their mercury content, they should not be placed in either recycling or trash bins. Take them to Home Depot or to a county “home chemical collection center” (see “Resources” sidebar).

Small batteries. Although the county recommends throwing them in the trash, there are alternatives for all types of batteries. Ask Radio Shack if they will accept them. For rechargeable batteries, Home Depot and other retailers will accept them for recycling. Find drop-off centers through the website earth911.com.

Household electronics. Hialeah houses a major e-recycling center called ePlanet eWaste (eplanetwaste.com). Alternatively, some electronics retailers accept the return of their products for recycling, and the county accepts electronics at its chemical collection centers.

Speaking of chemicals, Miami-Dade County has launched an innovative “Chem-Again Program” to distribute certain chemicals free of charge to county residents. Depending on what has been collected, you could score free paint or Turtle Wax. Get details of what is available from the county’s Department of Solid Waste Management (see “Resources” sidebar).

While all these programs sound nice, their main flaw is that they require the consumer to spend time and money to recycle. By the time you find a place to accept your product, put it in your car, and drive in circles trying to find the drop-off point, you will be turning red instead of green.

Recycling done the American way should be as easy as fast food. Alongside every trash can should be a recycling bin. Any place that sells complex products such as electronics should accept used ones for recycling. Any place that wants your business should make recycling simple and apparent.

Getting rewarded for recycling clearly works, and the smartest cities around may want to jump on that bandwagon. We can discuss this idea over coffee at Panera -- my treat.

Feedback: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Resources

Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management

General: 305-594-1500

Multifamily recycling: 305-514-6610

Find recycling centers: earth911.com

Business recycling calculator: reduceyourwaste.org