SMYRNA, Del.- Orange tags adorned recycling bins in town as part of a recent initiative focused on lowering contamination rates. The outcome suggests its success.
The Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA) hired individuals from The Recycling Partnership to inspect recycling bins ahead of collection time.
If bins were contaminated with non-recyclable items they would be tagged and not taken by Waste Management.
Mike Parkowski, Chief of Business with DSWA said Smyrna partnered with the agency because it had one of the highest contamination rates in the state.
After recycling bins were policed for six weeks, Parkowski reports promising results.
"Contamination dropped from 34 percent down to five percent," he noted.
The program initially received some pushback from community members.
"People were upset about it. There were people who were like, 'Why are people looking through my trash carts and recycling carts?'" Parkowski explained.
However, as time progressed, fewer tags needed to be issued.
One neighbor, Robin Smith, said "it brought a lot of attention to the issue so I guess we learned a few things."
The lasting impact remains uncertain. Parkowski questioned, "Will people retain this information over time?"
Smith speculated on differing community responses to change.
"I think younger people will but older people are kind of set in their ways and don't want to be bothered," she said.
DSWA plans another recycling audit in March.
"We have handed out flyers, posted door hangers, websites and radio ads but this by far has had the best results so we hope this is something moving forward we can duplicate and do in other parts of the state."
Parkowski noted high contamination rates in all three Delaware counties.
Acknowledging the potential for community discord, he stated that future communities adopting this program must be prepared for some initial opposition and expressed gratitude to the town of Smyrna for their cooperation and willingness to participate.
