22 replies to this topic

[mikearden]

Please reconsider some of the rules of the Greenup program. I live in a two family house. We share the recycling bins. We all dump our bottles and cans into one blue bin. We put all our paper into one green bin. If we have extra paper or bottles we use an extra bin. But today they only collected one of our trash cans because we only had three recycling bins out.

The people collecting the garbage have no way of knowing which unit put their recycling bins out and which did not. So they may leave a full garbage can uncollected for a resident who put their recycling bins out.

The Greenup program should be modified so that if two recycling bins are out they collect all trash cans.

[runawayjim]

That makes sense. I lived in a house that was that way. We were the only ones who recycled for quite some time in a 3 unit house. Eventually the others recycled, but there was never a reason to use more than 1 blue and 1 green bin, but we usually had 2 trash barrels.

Now that we're in our own house, we have like 1 or 2 bags of trash and just a small number of recycles in the bins.

Anyone know why you can't recycle soda boxes or 6 pack holders? They're the same materials as cereal boxes.

[Cotuit]

mikearden, on 09 November 2009 - 08:33 AM, said:

Please reconsider some of the rules of the Greenup program. I live in a two family house. We share the recycling bins. We all dump our bottles and cans into one blue bin. We put all our paper into one green bin. If we have extra paper or bottles we use an extra bin. But today they only collected one of our trash cans because we only had three recycling bins out.

The people collecting the garbage have no way of knowing which unit put their recycling bins out and which did not. So they may leave a full garbage can uncollected for a resident who put their recycling bins out.

The Greenup program should be modified so that if two recycling bins are out they collect all trash cans.

Wha!? Nothing I have heard says that there needs to be a direct trash to recycling container quota. I would contact my city councilor and complain if I were you. That is not acceptable. I live in a multifamily and we had all our trash collected.

Oh, and I never got any notification about the program starting here on Federal Hill. I only knew about it because I make myself aware of these kind of things. If I was just an average guy, living my life, I'd have had no way of knowing this program had started or was even on the horizon. Very sloppy on the city's part in my opinion.

[runawayjim]

Cotuit, on 09 November 2009 - 12:23 PM, said:

Wha!? Nothing I have heard says that there needs to be a direct trash to recycling container quota. I would contact my city councilor and complain if I were you. That is not acceptable. I live in a multifamily and we had all our trash collected.

Oh, and I never got any notification about the program starting here on Federal Hill. I only knew about it because I make myself aware of these kind of things. If I was just an average guy, living my life, I'd have had no way of knowing this program had started or was even on the horizon. Very sloppy on the city's part in my opinion.

You didn't get the doorhanger or thing sent in the mail? I don't remember which I got. It might've been a mailing.

[Cotuit]

runawayjim, on 09 November 2009 - 12:30 PM, said:

You didn't get the doorhanger or thing sent in the mail? I don't remember which I got. It might've been a mailing.

I got absolutely nothing.

[mikearden]

I called the city's environmental office today to complain and they said if there were not 2 recycling bins per trash can it would not be picked up. I also sent an email to Kevin Jackson's office, but haven't heard anything from them.

We did get a sticker on our trash cans a few weeks ago that told of the upcoming program. But today there were letters stuck to almost every trash can on my street, and hardly any trash got picked up.

As for the 6-pack boxes(and all beer boxes, supposedly), I have heard they are not recyclable because there is some chemical added to them to make them more durable if wet.

[09/21/38]

How long has recycllng being going on in this state? 15 years.  All of the people who didn't get the letter last week or the door hanger to bad.  this has been the law for the last 15 years.  Get with the program already Amigo.

[runawayjim]

09/21/38, on 12 November 2009 - 08:47 AM, said:

How long has recycllng being going on in this state? 15 years.  All of the people who didn't get the letter last week or the door hanger to bad.  this has been the law for the last 15 years.  Get with the program already Amigo.

The law is new. In order to get your trash picked up, you have to have both recycling bins out with stuff in them.

[09/21/38]

The law is not new.  The enforcement of the law, that is new.  There should be a quick spike in recycling next week in Providence.

Next we can work on the leach laws for small, yippie dogs.

[mikearden]

09/21/38, on 12 November 2009 - 03:22 PM, said:

The law is not new. The enforcement of the law, that is new. There should be a quick spike in recycling next week in Providence.

Next we can work on the leach laws for small, yippie dogs.

Was it always the law to put out an empty bin? Because that is what they are now requiring.

[runawayjim]

mikearden, on 13 November 2009 - 08:56 AM, said:

Was it always the law to put out an empty bin? Because that is what they are now requiring.

I think there technically has to be something in the bin, but Waste Management has gotten lazy and now uses that annoying truck with the robotic arm to dump your trash rather than someone actually going out and hooking the bin to the back of the truck (which resulted in less trash being blown around the street). So no one actually sees in the bin.

[Dan]

mikearden, on 09 November 2009 - 01:19 PM, said:

We did get a sticker on our trash cans a few weeks ago that told of the upcoming program. But today there were letters stuck to almost every trash can on my street, and hardly any trash got picked up.

The Green Up program is a farce.  Here's how it "works" ---

If you have a green can full of garbage and no green or blue bins, your trash doesn't get emptied and you get a sticker and a flyer.  If the recycling truck comes and takes your stuff and you bring the bin back from the curb to wherever you keep it, your trash doesn't get emptied and you get a sticker and a flyer.  If you put out only a blue bin or only a green bin, your trash doesn't get emptied and you get a sticker and a flyer.  If you have one blue bin and one green bin and two trash cans with garbage, your trash doesn't get emptied and you get a sticker and a flyer.  

The city is now inundated with weeks-old garbage overflowing from big green cans and blowing around the streets, and nobody understands why its not being collected.  It's a big green mess.

You stay trashy, Providence!

[Cotuit]

House across the street last night.

4 Big Green Cans, 8 empty recycling bins.

Deliciously passive aggressive, within the letter of the guidelines, and totally ridiculous.

But mostly deliciously passive aggressive

[mikearden]

Cotuit, on 20 November 2009 - 03:19 PM, said:

House across the street last night.

4 Big Green Cans, 8 empty recycling bins.

Deliciously passive aggressive, within the letter of the guidelines, and totally ridiculous.

But mostly deliciously passive aggressive

Were the recycling bins all stacked up? Now that's a good use of someone's time.

[Cotuit]

mikearden, on 20 November 2009 - 03:52 PM, said:

Were the recycling bins all stacked up? Now that's a good use of someone's time.

No, they were all lined up side by side and actually wrapped around the side of the house to illustrate the ridiculousness of it all I guess.

[Dan]

I have an update.  I got some nice old bins from a friend in Warwick.  Everything was cool for awhile.  I put the stuff out, it disappears.  I have seen the bottle brigade drive by every week digging through my bin and taking all my beer bottles, which is mildly amusing to me since the Green Up program was supposed to generate a big increase in recycling in Providence.

But seriously, did they have to take my blue bin too?  Maybe it wasn't the bottle guy.  Maybe a municipal employee from Warwick drove by my house and noticed that city property was being used illegally by someone in Providence.  Or maybe there really is a black market for blue and green bins.  I blame TheAnk for this.  I believe he should do what's good for everybody and spread the bins around.  

So I'm now out of compliance through no fault of my own, and I'm getting a little aggravated.  Can someone explain why we are we the only city in Rhode Island that doesn't issue residents green and blue cans for recycling?  No one would steal these and we'd have a much better shot at reaching the recycling goal that the city has set.  It would also be way better because the blue and green recycling cans have lids.  Snow, rain, and rats can all get in the bins and it makes a big mess.

We managed to get the trash cans, finally.  Why not recycling cans, too?!

/Rant

[runawayjim]

Dan, on 06 January 2010 - 03:52 PM, said:

I have an update.  I got some nice old bins from a friend in Warwick.  Everything was cool for awhile.  I put the stuff out, it disappears.  I have seen the bottle brigade drive by every week digging through my bin and taking all my beer bottles, which is mildly amusing to me since the Green Up program was supposed to generate a big increase in recycling in Providence.

But seriously, did they have to take my blue bin too?  Maybe it wasn't the bottle guy.  Maybe a municipal employee from Warwick drove by my house and noticed that city property was being used illegally by someone in Providence.  Or maybe there really is a black market for blue and green bins.  I blame TheAnk for this.  I believe he should do what's good for everybody and spread the bins around.  

So I'm now out of compliance through no fault of my own, and I'm getting a little aggravated.  Can someone explain why we are we the only city in Rhode Island that doesn't issue residents green and blue cans for recycling?  No one would steal these and we'd have a much better shot at reaching the recycling goal that the city has set.  It would also be way better because the blue and green recycling cans have lids.  Snow, rain, and rats can all get in the bins and it makes a big mess.

We managed to get the trash cans, finally.  Why not recycling cans, too?!

/Rant

Only the green ones have lids, but yes, they should be issued free of charge. After all, the most common cause of them being severely damaged is the idiots that work for Waste Management.

[Cotuit]

runawayjim, on 06 January 2010 - 06:34 PM, said:

Only the green ones have lids, but yes, they should be issued free of charge. After all, the most common cause of them being severely damaged is the idiots that work for Waste Management.

Yes, I know someone who's bin was broken by the sanitation crews, a bin he was forced to buy and is now broken.

[Cotuit]

Dan, on 06 January 2010 - 03:52 PM, said:

Can someone explain why we are we the only city in Rhode Island that doesn't issue residents green and blue cans for recycling?

Supposedly, eventually, we will be going to a single stream system, which means all recyclables will go into one bin and be sorted at the collection end. There's a few things, including money that need to make that happen. Once it does though, all recycling in one bin, hopefully the city will provide a large barrel (like the big green ones). Having heard this, I was annoyed that we went through all this madness and expense for a system that is hoped to be temporary.

It would have been advantageous in my opinion to do a marketing blitz, especially in the schools, then introduce new regulations when the single stream system is ready to come on line.

I still maintain that this should all be done at the state level. All of our waste goes to the same state run place, so the state should run the system and give the municipalities one less thing to worry about. Maybe if regionalization takes hold, sanitation will be one of the things to be regionalized.

[jencoleslaw]

What I'm hearing about single stream isn't good. We have it down here in VA and I have learned that glass ends up only being ground up and put into cement and asphalt, so it isn't really recycled and reused, and frankly glass is the best thing to turn back into glass.  I know that much of it gets sorted, but the glass thing is a huge disappointment.   After all these years of getting people to separate their paper and cardboard from cans and bottles, just to throw it all in a thing that looks amazingly like a trash can is not good for the movement, I don't think.  We could not get our grandfather to understand that the trash can with the blue lid was for recycling and the trash can with the green lid was for trash, so i suspect that after we moved out, all his recycling was contaminated with trash, meaning that it would all go into the landfill or the incinerator...

and the bottle pickers in the city will continue to deflate Providence's recycle rate. I don't think there is any to deal with that.