LIHU‘E — County officials announced Wednesday that the pilot curbside recycling program that was launched in September 2010 in Puhi and portions of Lihu‘e will continue through August, a county news release states. The purpose of the pilot is to
LIHU‘E — County officials announced Wednesday that the pilot curbside recycling program that was launched in September 2010 in Puhi and portions of Lihu‘e will continue through August, a county news release states.
The purpose of the pilot is to determine the potential participation rate, types and quantities of recyclables collected, and areas that need improvement for future planning.
The first five months of the program has produced mixed results and officials are hoping that participants will increase the amount they currently recycle and reduce the amount of contamination. A public education campaign is planned to support this effort.
“We really need the help of this pilot group to get the most out of the project and gather solid information from which we can move forward,” said Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. in the release. “What we learn will help us determine how we can proceed successfully with curbside recycling on a larger scale.”
The data compiled in the first five months of the program has revealed the following in terms of proportion of materials recycled by weight:
— Mixed paper: 30.2 percent
— Cardboard: 24.7 percent
— Newspaper: 15.4 percent
— Glass: 9 percent
— Plastic: 4.8 percent
— Aluminum: .2 percent.
Contamination accounts for 15.8 percent of the content and includes: mixed paper combined with broken glass; bags of rotten food and maggots; fish guts; kitty litter; plastic bags, lids and cups; food wrappers; paper plates; napkins; paper towels; green waste; tin cans; and scrap metal.
The average weight of material collected from each home is 28.96 pounds per month.
Specialized 96-gallon recycling carts with blue lids have been servicing 1,300 homes in the pilot area since the curbside recycling program began. Residents receive pickup every other Thursday.
The carts accept a mixed stream of recyclables, so no sorting or bagging of items is necessary. The mixed recyclables are sorted and tracked by Garden Isle Disposal, Inc., who has been contracted by the county to receive and process the recyclables.
For more information about the pilot curbside recycling program, visit the county website, www.kauai.gov/curbsiderecycling, or call 241-4837.
