By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Last year, Bowling Green diverted 39.2% of waste in the city from being landfilled. That compares to the national average waste diversion rate of 32%.
The city’s success at keeping waste out of the landfill is due to an expanded curbside recycling program, food waste collection for composting, and yard debris being turned into mulch.
Following are the tons of waste that have been diverted from the landfill so far this year:
- Curbside recycling to 5,711 one- and two-family dwellings – 466 tons.
- Yard waste recycling drop off and leaf collection – 207 tons.
- Food waste recycling drop off – 12.5 tons.
- Brush collected curbside – 72.6 tons.
“Looks like a lot of good news,” City Council member Jeff Dennis said when the city sustainability report was presented Tuesday by Amanda Gamby, sustainability and public outreach coordinator for Bowling Green.
During 2020, when the pandemic hit, the city saw an increase in solid waste collections to 5,086 tons – likely due to people working from home, so the waste wasn’t collected by private garbage operations at workplaces.
Then last year, the solid waste tonnage dropped to the lowest level (4,969 tons) in recent years, Gamby said. It looks like the tonnage will also decrease this year, she added.
During the same period of the pandemic, the city’s recycling program experienced the highest tonnage in 2020, at 1,000 tons. The tonnage decreased last year, likely due to people returning to work and school. Another decrease is expected this year.
The city pays $40 per ton for disposal of trash at the Wood County Landfill, and $100 per ton for recyclables to Republic Services. That recycling processing fee is $30 per ton lower than this time last year, Gamby pointed out.
This area suffers from the lack of a nearby recycling material recovery facility, Gamby said. Republic Services has to transport Bowling Green’s recyclables to Oberlin. Gamby called this region a “MRF desert.”
Since switching to the new curbside program, city residents may now recycle an expanded list of materials – like glass and wax-covered cartons. The city has not received any reports of its loads being too contaminated with non-recyclable materials.
“We’re really trying to avoid rejected loads,” Gamby said.
All curbside trucks are outfitted with cameras and the drivers report violations daily. These are tracked, and notices/educational materials are mailed to residents not following recycling rules. Bin checks are performed for repeat offenders when necessary. When multiple education attempts fail, civil warnings/citations are issued – though that is very rare.
The most common violation is that recyclables are bagged within the bins.
Residents who don’t receive curbside recycling collection are directed to use the 24-hour drop-off provided by the Bowling Green Recycling Center.
In March of 2021, the city started a food waste recycling drop off site. The site has been collecting about 12 64-gallon containers of food waste every other week. That’s an estimated 25 tons of food waste annually that will be composted rather than sent to the landfill.
“It’s been very successful,” Gamby said. “It’s been very well received by the public.”
Sometimes the food drop offs slow in the summer.
“It smells when it’s 100 degrees outside,” so some residents are reluctant to use the site, Gamby said.
The city also does curbside brush collection four times a year – in April, May, September and October. Residents must call to be added to the collection route. That saves the city time and gas, since public works trucks can target their pickups rather than driving around the community looking for brush piles, Gamby said.
The brush is delivered to Wood County’s yard waste recycling facility, where it is ground into mulch in the spring. The mulch is available to residents for purchase.
Christmas trees are also collected curbside during one week in January. They are also taken to the yard waste facility, where they are ground up into mulch. This year, 283 trees were collected.
The city also operates a year-round yard waste drop off site behind the Public Works Garage. The site accepts leaves, grass and other yard waste materials, which are delivered to the county’s yard waste facility for composting.
Leaves are collected curbside during a special collection in the fall/winter. Since 2020, the city has been including a map on the website allowing residents to follow along with progress and better prepare for crews to be in their neighborhood.
All leaves collected curbside are delivered to Wood County’s Yard Waste Recycling Facility for composting. The county is not permitted to sell the finished compost but uses it on site. Residents are also encouraged to mulch their leaves back onto their yards or utilize them in their flowerbeds, garden or compost.
To decrease leaf waste in the fall, the city has been promoting the “Love ‘em and leave ‘em” method.
The city continues to provide Recycle Coach as a tool for residents to use. Recycle Coach is available on the city’s website and can also be downloaded as an app. The “What Goes Where?” tool provides a searchable database directing residents to proper disposal/recycling locations for televisions, household hazardous wastes, paint, plastics, electronics, common recyclables, etc. Recycle Coach also provides a collection calendar and push notifications to remind residents of collection days, schedule changes, and special collections.
