(City of Provo)
Provo Residents will be provided with better opportunities to recycle beginning Nov. 1, thanks a new recycling program.
The city is currently distributing brand new trash bins with colored lids for those approximately 10,000 residents who are customers of the city waste program.
“We are distributing bins with black lids for every day trash, bins with green lids for green waste and also blue lid bins for items that can be recycled,” said Deputy Director of Public Works Greg Beckstrom.
Previously, Provo’s recycling was mostly managed by Republic Services, which would collect recycling on a biweekly basis.
According to a letter from Provo Mayor John Curtis, many residents of Provo complained to the city about the confusing recycling schedule, and that their recycling bins would fill up faster than the bins were collected.
“We were afraid that some items that would be considered recyclable were being thrown away in the regular trash bin,” Beckstrom said.
The program will cost an additional $1 for customers of the new city waste program.
The city began exchanging the old bins with the new ones on Aug. 1 and will finish Oct. 3. The city has also prepared an information packet to accompany the distribution of the new bins, which includes the pickup schedule for the bins as well as tips on what and how to recycle certain items.
The city has asked people not to place glass items in the recycle bins and to dispose of them at the “glass drop-off” area near the Provo Recreation Center.
Provo is one of few cities in Utah that utilizes this unique recycling program.
The city currently caters to single homes and small apartment complexes for recycling, but is working to develop programs for larger apartment complexes.
“We are excited to be a part of this new program and help achieve Mayor Curtis’s goal of a more sustainable Provo,” Beckstrom said.
The City of Provo has provided citizens an opportunity to voice their thoughts about the program by calling 801-852-6000 and talking to a Provo City representative.
