Solon prepares to roll out pilot automated recycling program

SOLON - Upon the arrival of about 400 carts, the city will be rolling out a pilot automated recycling program over a six-month trial period.

City Council gave Service Director Tom Bandiera approval July 15 to rent the rolling containers for $3 a month - plus freight - which is expected to cost about $8,400.

At the end of six months, the city will have the option of buying them as well, at a cost of about $48 per cart - with the rental fees being credited.

Since 2007, the city's collection of household recyclables has increased by about 400 tons - half of that in 2012 - which Bandiera attributes to the "co-mingling" of all items in a manual single-stream process.

Those items are placed into bags which are placed at the curb for collections.

Bandiera believes the numbers will invariably go up as people simply dump their recyclables in either 65- or 95-gallon carts, then wheel them out to the street.

The main discussion at the July 3 meeting of council's Public Works Committee dealt with which cart size to go with.

Councilman Bill Mooney brought up the possibility of alternately using both sizes to gauge the public's reception to both.

Councilman Robert Pelunis, who chairs the Public Works Committee, also likes that idea. He noted much of the feedback from residents in his ward has been in favor of using the smaller carts, though Bandiera personally favors the 95-gallon receptacle.

"It's not going to hurt to have a little extra room," Bandiera said, pointing to house and garage clean-outs, and special family gatherings and events.

Bandiera also noted the larger can does not take up that much more space, since it's basically just taller than its 65-gallon counterpart, while slightly wider as well.

The standard size for automated rubbish collection is 95 gallons, although Bandiera said it would be feasible to possibly go with a "50-50 split" on the pilot recycling - starting with one and switching at some point to the other.

Two weeks prior to the carts being delivered, letters will be sent to residents notifying them their home has been selected to participate pilot study.

They will also receive a Residential Pilot Recycling Guide, featuring a detailed list of acceptable items, cart placement, collection schedule, cart storage regulations and, perhaps most importantly, program feedback instructions.

Bandiera also plans to provide a link on the city's main web page to direct residents to a recycling form where they will have the opportunity to provide feedback.

Rather than spreading the participation out across the city, Bandiera is tentatively looking at the city's Monday pickup schedule for the pilot automated recycling program, in which 400 of about 650 homes on the route would be selected.