County bolsters recycling service

BRANDON, Sep 23, 2009 (Tampa Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- WSII | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- People who recycle at curbside are typically very passionate about it.

"They get upset if they come out and we've already been by," said Al Johnson, a supervisor for Republic Waste Services, which serves a portion of the county. "They'll get in their car and track us down."

Problem is, participation needs to be higher, Hillsborough County officials say.

Curbside recycling in Hillsborough County has actually decreased from a high of 59 percent of homes setting out recycling in 1998 to just 32 percent in 2008.

The Hillsborough County Solid Waste Department blames a lack of knowledge on how people can get recycling bins, what they can recycle and on which days.

So, the department is sponsoring a new contest to boost participation. It's called Famous Bins.

From now until Nov. 30, likenesses of famous "Bens" will show up on county billboards, on the sides of public buses, and in other neighborhood locations, such as movie theaters.

Anyone who spots a famous Ben can go to www .hillsboroughrecycles.org and register for the contest, sign up to get recycling bins delivered to their home, and learn more about the county's recycling program.

The contest is meant as a light-hearted attempt at bolstering participation in the voluntary program, Solid Waste Department spokesman James Ransom said.

The county depends on its waste haulers to collect bins, pick up recyclables and deliver them to a recycling facility in Orlando.

In Area 2, which runs from Interstate 4 south and includes Seffner, Mango, Dover and rural areas to the south and west, there is about a 24 percent set-out rate today, meaning about 24 percent of the households in that area set out recyclables for pickup.

In Area 3, which includes Brandon and Valrico and all suburban areas south to the county line, there is a 41 percent set-out rate.

County residents recycled 30,365 tons through the curbside recycling program in 2008. The goal of the contest is to increase the number of bins placed curbside by 10 percent.

One of the biggest hurdles in getting people to participate is giving them information on how to participate, Ransom said. "It just takes a few extra seconds to put things in the recycling bin instead of the garbage can and after a while, it just becomes an effortless habit."

WHAT GETS RECYCLED?

-- Type 1 and 2 plastic bottles and jugs. Look for the symbol on the container.

-- Glass bottles and jars, all colors

-- Newspapers and newspaper inserts

-- Magazines, catalogs and telephone books

-- Office paper

-- Paperboard

-- Brown paper bags

-- Corrugated cardboard boxes, broken down

--No pizza boxes, batteries, glossy or waxed cardboard, aluminum foil, pie tins, coat hangers, paint or solvent containers.

WHAT HAPPENS TO RECYCLABLES?

-- Paper is transformed into cereal boxes, writing pad bases, wallboard, newsprint, corrugated containers and tissue paper.

-- Aluminum cans are used to make new cans.

-- Steel cans are used in steel manufacturing and tin removed from the outer coating of the cans is used to produce new tin products.

-- Glass bottles are remade into new glass bottles and jars and fiberglass.

-- Plastic bottles are recycled for use as flower pots, drainage pipes, toys, traffic barrier cones, carpet backing and fiberfill for pillows, ski jackets and sleeping bags.

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 627-4763.

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