The City of Morgantown has launched Recycle Right Morgantown; a curbside recycling initiative to promote the proper recycling of household waste by city residents and reduce contamination in recycling bins.
“Nationally, about 25-30 percent of what goes into recycling bins isn’t recyclable and belongs in the trash,” said Recycling Manager Vanessa Reaves. “High contamination levels in recycling can cause entire truckloads to be sent to the landfill rather than be recycled and turned into new products such as playground equipment, clothing, food packaging and even bridges.”
The recycling initiative is aimed at educating the community about proper recycling practices and providing direct feedback by checking bins for contamination. While the COVID-19 crisis has stunted the initial timeline of the initiative, the Recycle Right Morgantown campaign is adapting.
“Recycling bin inspections were initially scheduled to begin in May, but these have been postponed to the Fall of 2020,” said Reaves. “Studies have shown that cities that have recycling bin inspection programs have shown a larger decrease of contamination in bins than areas that haven’t been provided direct feedback. Recycling bins that are contaminated will receive an “Oops” tag with one or more checkboxes marked for six types of contamination.”
One of the first actions of the Recycle Right campaign was to provide all city residents with a Recycling Guide in their MUB bill. The guide is also available on the Recycle Right Morgantown website. While visiting the website, city residents can complete a survey for a chance to win three months of free trash and recycling services. The survey will help the city determine knowledge gaps in recycling practices and obtain information from residents regarding additional curbside services. The website also includes information on many recycling resources, such as places to recycle items that are not accepted in curbside recycling.
Recycle Right Morgantown is also present on social media platforms including on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, with weekly educational posts regarding different recycling topics. Citizens are encouraged to follow the campaign on social media to receive the latest updates.
All residents in city limits are provided with curbside recycling through Republic Services. To request a free 35 or 65-gallon recycling bin for your residence, call Republic Services at 304-366-8900. The Recycle Right Morgantown campaign is funded through a state REAP Grant from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and it is supported by Republic Services. For more information about Recycle Right Morgantown, visit the campaign at recyclerightmorgantown.com.
Image of the Recycle Right Morgantown Recycling Guide.