Chicago’s Blue Bin Recycling

[gallery]

As we all know, the success of any recycling program is dependant upon the quality and amount of participants.  When I say quality, I am speaking of those who do not just look at the bins as another trash can for food waste and non-recyclable items.  Last year, one of my friends who lives near Midway Airport had no idea what I was talking about when I redirected his trash to the appropriate bag I ha

d for the bins.  Being in the 47th Ward, our Alderman had signed us all up for the pilot program, for which I thank him for.

When I talk to people about the level of participation in their buildings, it can vary.  When the program first began, I noticed that our can quickly filled up.  We have four seperate units on the property, one being a coach house.  The building next to us has four seperate units in apartments that are subdivided, although from the outside it just appears to be a single family home. 

What I find interesting, and great, is that in the building I live in there are so many recyclers.  Soon after the program began the bin would be filled by the first week.  We asked for a second bin.  The last few months it has been almost a race to get down to the bin right after a pick up, so we could bring recyclables that are piling up in the kitchen downstairs.  We now have 3 bins, and as I went to throw out some glass bottles, I noticed that they were all about 95% filled despite a recent pickup.  Interestingly our four unit neighbors use one bin sufficiently and another neighbor who is in a single family home uses two of them. 

Conversely, I’ve noticed the quantity of other types of trash from our building to be down. This is a good thing!