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DURHAM, N.C. – Beginning this month, City of Durham residents who receive curbside garbage collection will notice a new addition to their households – a 95-gallon blue roll-out cart.

As the City’s Department of Solid Waste Management prepares to launch its new curbside recycling program on July 13, 2009, citizens will begin receiving their new roll-out carts throughout the month of June, which will replace their 18-gallon blue bins when the program launches next month.   

According to Donald Long, director of the City’s Department of Solid Waste Management, the new program is designed to replicate the collection and participation rate increases seen in the pilot program from earlier this year.  “After experiencing a dramatic 50 percent increase in the amount of materials collected for recycling when we piloted this bi-weekly program in several Durham neighborhoods, we felt this program would benefit the entire city – especially since the recycling participation rate also increased from 40 percent to 70 percent,” Long said. 

According to Long, the new roll-out carts also come with new changes, especially in the collection schedule and the amount of materials that can now be recycled.  “Since the new recycling roll-out carts are significantly larger than the old bin, recycling collection will occur every other week on the same day the home receives solid waste collection beginning the week of July 13,” Long said.  “It’s important to note that garbage collection in the green roll-out carts will still be collected every week.  And, more importantly, the new blue recycling roll-out carts are significantly larger than the old bins so our residents will be able to recycle more materials, which ultimately helps our environment by sending fewer materials to the landfill.”

When the blue roll-out carts arrive, a recycling collection schedule and a list of “frequently asked questions” will be attached to the carts in a plastic bag, explaining the new program in more detail.  Prior to the blue roll-out carts arriving, a postcard is being mailed this week to all residential water bill customers to alert them to the new cart arrival and the other changes scheduled to take place July 13.  “We want to be sure our know these carts are arriving and know where to go if they have questions or need more information about the new program,” Long said. 

According to Long, in addition to receiving the new schedules with the delivery of the roll-out carts, citizens can also visit the City’s Web site to learn more, including a map that will allow them to determine their new recycling collection schedule based on their location in the city.  “We want this transition to be as easy and convenient for our citizens as possible,” Long said.  “We truly feel this new program is going to help our citizens recycle more, while at the same time being more convenient for them to have a larger cart they can easily roll to their curb.  In addition, this is saving the City a significant amount of money as well.  It’s truly a win-win situation for all.”

The new curbside recycling program isn’t the only change occurring the week of July 13.  The bulky item collection program will now be offered on a weekly basis.  Citizens are encouraged to place up to three bulky items at their curb the same day as their garbage collection.  As crews come through to pick up the green and blue roll-out carts, they’ll note the bulky items set on the curb and crews will return the next day to collect.  “We’ve had such a good response to the current bulky item program that only collects once a month, that we jumped at the opportunity to streamline this program even more by offering weekly collection to our citizens,“ Long said. 

Yard waste collection customers will also need to take note of a new collection schedule beginning the week of July 13.  The brown roll-out carts should still be placed at the curb by 7 a.m. the same day as the weekly garbage collection in the green roll-out carts.  However, the yard waste carts will not be serviced until the next day, streamlining the collection into a Tuesday through Friday operation.  “This is very similar to the new bulky item collection schedule,” Long said.  “As our crews come through each Monday through Thursday to collect the garbage, they’ll note if a yard waste cart is at the curb and our crews will return the next day to pick it up.  All yard waste carts will be collected by the end of each Friday.”

The final service change going into effect the week of July 13 is that Friday garbage, recycling, and yard waste customers should now set their carts out on Wednesday.  “We’re making this change to one of our existing collection days to streamline our new pick-up schedules and make these new programs as efficient as possible,” Long said.  “By moving our Friday customers to Wednesday, it allows us to have all bulky items and yard waste carts collected for all customers that need it by the end of the week.  Therefore, no set outs will take place over the weekend.  Also, by only going to the locations that need bulky item and yard waste service, we are saving a tremendous amount of money on fuel and staff resources.”

To learn more about any of these changes, including the recycling collection schedule map and a list of frequently asked questions, visit the City’s Web site at www.durhamnc.gov/departments/solid/recycle_curb_collection.cfm or contact Durham One Call at (919) 560-1200.

About the Department of Solid Waste Management
The City's Department of Solid Waste Management promotes and supports a high quality of life for the citizens of Durham by providing comprehensive, responsive, environmentally-safe, efficient, and cost-effective solid waste collection, recycling, and disposal programs.  Department services include roll-out cart collection for garbage, yard waste, and recycling; cart delivery and repair service, bulky item pick-up; street cleaning; and disposal services.  For more information, visit the City's Web site at www.durhamnc.gov/departments/solid.