Midland revamps curbside recycling program

Midland residents soon will be able to keep more plastic and other items out of the landfill when a new curbside recycling program goes into effect next month.

The new program will be different from the existing one in several ways, says Karen Murphy, director of Midland's public services department. The current curbside recycling contract was due to expire, so city officials solicited residents' input and decided on a program that will feature a 95-gallon wheeled carts and a monthly pickup schedule. The existing program utilizes a 13-gallon container, which is picked up once every two weeks.

When it goes into effect, the program also will move the city's current program into a single-stream system, which will no longer require drivers to sort recyclables after loading them onto the truck. Recyclables will instead be sorted at the recycling facility, Murphy says.

The program also will accept more types of plastic, Murphy says, "so there will be more that will be diverted from the landfill." The program will begin accepting number 3–7 plastics, along with office paper, plastic/paper grocery bags, pizza boxes, and junk mail.

As a community, Midland has a good participation rate when it comes to recycling, she says. More than 60 percent of residents participate in the program, she says. The change to a single-stream, automated system is something that a lot of communities are implementing now.

"We feel that that is kind of an up-and-coming change in curbside recycling," Murphy says. "And we have a lot of interest here in the community."


Writer: Jenny Cromie
Source: Midland Department of Public Works, Karen Murphy (director)