By Matthew Jackson
Staff Reporter
HUNTSVILLE —
The City of Huntsville Department of Public Utilities has released the results of its six-month curbside recycling pilot program survey and recommended to the Huntsville City Council that the curbside recycling program be expanded citywide.
Public Utilities Director Carol Reed presented the results of the service, which indicates a 67 percent favorable rating for the program, to the council during their regular session Tuesday night.
The survey was given to all of the more than 1,200 participants in the recycling pilot program, which was conducted in Elkins Lake from January to June. The survey generated responses from 69 percent of participating households.
The survey garnered feedback on all aspects of the program, including the size of the recycling carts, the frequency of use of the program and whether or not the program caused a reduction in household garbage.
The final report gathered from the survey indicated that 62 percent of Elkins Lake households were regularly participating in the program, a number Reed says was above expectations.
“We feel that it was very successful,” Reed said. “Prior to proceeding with the pilot we did a lot of communication with other municipalities that have similar programs, and from what we were told a participation rate of 30 percent was to be expected, and if you got above 50 it was considered to be a success. So we were thrilled with the participation level.”
Of those surveyed, 80 percent said they used the recycling service every week, while another 12 percent said they used it occasionally. The survey also reports that 90 percent of customers reported a reduction in their household garbage after implementation of the program.
Overall, the program resulted in the pickup of nearly 99.78 tons of recycling and an average reduction of 8.6 tons of garbage weekly.
Among the criticisms of the program included in the survey were concerns that their solid waste bill was not reduced because trash pickup was reduced to make way for recycling.
The recycling program reduced trash pickup in Elkins Lake to once weekly and added recycling services twice monthly.
“We have added an additional service for citizens at no extra cost,” Reed said of the criticism. “The only way we can proceed with this program at no cost to citizens is by exchanging those two garbage pickups a month for the recycling days.”
Reed said that the city has already applied for Houston-Galveston Area Council grants to help fund the purchase of more recycling carts and an expanded recycling facility to accommodate the recommended expansion of the program.
The Elkins Lake recycling program will continue uninterrupted, and if the recommended expansion is approved by the city council, the city will begin phasing in other garbage routes at a rate of one route per six months beginning in January 2011.
“We’re really pleased with the results, and we’ve had numerous people in the community say ‘When’s it coming to us?’,” Reed said. “There seems to be a fair amount of anticipation in the community for it to expand.”
