WHY ARENT THERE RECYCLING CONTAINERS ON EVERY NEW YORK CITY STREET CORNER?
In the early 1990’s, when recycling was mandated in NYC, the Department of Sanitation tested the practicality of street-corner recycling by placing separate recycling bins on well-trafficked street corners. Our initial expectations were that street corner recycling would be a good tool for educating the public about recycling, as well as providing the City’s recycling program with a highly visible presence. The results were disappointing. Despite aggressive signage and specially-shaped slots on recycling containers, people did not differentiate the recycling bins from garbage cans. The contents of the recycling bins were too contaminated with regular trash to justify the expense of collection by a separate recycling truck. The Department of Sanitation’s comprehensive study of residential and street basket waste found that, while street corner recycling is a good tool for educating the public about recycling, it captures a negligible fraction of NYC’s waste stream. In spring 2007, anoth
