In the Dept of, “I Told You So!”
According to the latest Recycling Newsletter (Summer 09, PDF here) from the Solid Waste and Recycling Office, Lowell has seen some pretty dramatic numbers in the right direction since the introduction of our pretty raspberry-colored trash bins:
AUTOMATED TRASH COLLECTION UPDATE
For the three months since Lowell distributed nearly 27,000 burgundy trash carts the trash tonnage has dropped by 811 tons (Mar), 1,150 tons (Apr) and 1,270 (May) compared to the same three months of 2008. May alone saved 1/3 of the average monthly tonnage! The same three months saw an increase of 27% in ‘paper’ recycling and an amazing jump by 35% in ‘bottles & cans’ recycling. Over 4,000 green recycling bins were picked up in the few months preceding BIN-Dependence Day. We are well on our way to drastically reduce our 6.5 million dollar per year trash, recycling and yard waste collection costs. Keep up the great work!
I just want to take a second to gloat to all those naysayers who thought this new system would doom this city to becoming a trash dumping ground! I think we can safely say that Lowellians can handle this pretty well. 
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:46 pm
And I want to thank the yard and waste folks for cutting down to a once every three week rotation on my street…do we pay two thirds less for the service?
July 2nd, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Yes, it would be 2/3 less for the service. It is charged per week of pick up. I recently drove through Lawrence on trash day for business and I had this sudden realization of how much cleaner our neighborhoods in Lowell look now. I love looking down the street and seeing the uniform bins without the loose bags and heaps of trash all over the place. I also love seeing so many green bins or barrels with recycle stickers on them. I know there are random tv’s and a few trash bags being illelgaly dumped, but I see them far less then I expected. This is a great program…
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/02/08/breakthrough_on_broken_windows/
July 3rd, 2009 at 12:36 am
Glad to hear we are paying 2/3rds less for the yard waste pickup than contracted.
July 3rd, 2009 at 8:35 am
Being an avid recycler, I have seen no impact personally, but I can vouch that on my street things have changed dramatically.
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:53 am
Agreed. The street looks so neat with the bins lined up like little soldiers. Before, the upper end of our street (a lot of 2- and 3- families) had trash piled up all the in, around, and on top of regular barrels. It’s nice that a side effect of this rule is cleaner, neater streets and trash days that don’t look so trashy.
I still only put out our trash bin like every other week though.
July 3rd, 2009 at 10:23 am
Eleanor, Lowell is one of the only cities or towns in the entire state that let’s you put out yard waste from April through November. Most cities and towns have a week or two in the spring and a week or two in the fall for yard waste pick up. Because the average citizen in Lowell is a lazy, complaining naysayer we haven’t been able to roll back the yard waste schedule. That being said, if you just call the Recycling Office they will notify the contractor and send out a truck to pick up your yard waste.
July 4th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Elisha, yard waste would include grass clippings, so unless they want me to start throwing grass clippings out with trash…and yes, I know to call the recycling office, the problem is that after a couple of calls you’d think the contractor would get the idea now wouldn’t you!
July 4th, 2009 at 8:18 pm
I cut my grass and leave the clippings. If there are a lot, into my own compost bin they go!
July 5th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Or…I could get the service that I pay for! Hmmm
July 7th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Moneymaker? I called to get some bins for a multi-family I just purchased, and was told that “we have no funding for new bins, check back in January”. I was told to go buy bins at Target. Since the recycling function only works once a year, the people there should be considered seasonal employees and get other jobs until funding comes in, or do they actually do anything but answer the phone and say “sorry…”
July 8th, 2009 at 9:22 am
johnqpublic
There has been a tremendous demand for recycling bins since the new trash program went into effect. As you were told the demand exceeded the supply as well as the funds for FY09(which ended June 30, 2009). As the new fiscal year began July 1, more bins are on order and should be available in August. If you stop in the City Manager’s Office or Neighborhood Services you can put your name on a list and you will be contacted when the bins come in. You can also pick up free “bottles and cans” and “yard waste” stickers to place on your old barrels. I hope this information is helpful.
July 8th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
The problem is that in Lowell we expect more then we pay for. Very few towns and cities collect yard waste all Summer Long. The city pays alot of money for yard waste removal and I personally would rather see it go to pay for just about anything else (more bins, a drop off yard, the schools, the police, or whatever…honestly anything other then weekly waste collection.) As Lynne said grass clippings can stay on your lawn or be composted. Residents should be demanding this cut, rather then crying out that they should get the service they pay for with all the lay offs and cuts happening in city services. The cheap red stickers on the barrels work the same as the recycle bins.