Municipal News

Recyclers Use Computers on the Route

Hand-held computers are entering the recycling scene, at least in Cambria County, Pa. With help from Penn State’s Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program (PENNTAP), Cambria County’s Solid Waste Management Authority (CCSWMA) has become the first in the state to adopt hand-held computers to track recycling operations in the field.

“Our drivers have been using a palm top computer on their recycling pick-up routes for about six months now. And, we figure that, from the data collection and data entry standpoint, we save at least 12 hours per week,” says Tanya McCoy-Caretti, CCSWMA executive director.

By McCoy-Caretti’s calculations that means that they have already saved well over the original $1,000 hardware and software costs and are also reaping increased productivity, more accurate records on the quality of their recyclables and even improved ways to target their educational activities (based on contamination patterns).

Cambria County has 10 collection sites in University Park and other communities to recycle newspaper, clear glass and metal. Michael Lieb, CCSWMA collections supervisor, comes by with a truck to pick up materials. He collects only one type of material on a given day and, before he had the palmtop, used a pencil and paper to record, at each site, the amount and condition of the load before taking it to the Indiana County Materials Recovery Facility weigh station for processing. In those days, when Lieb got back to the office after making the rounds on his route, he had to spend an additional 35 minutes or more, each day, re-entering the collected data in the office computer.

McCoy-Caretti says “My thought was that UPS has a handheld data collection device, as do Pepsi delivery personnel. So, the technology has to be out there. And that’s when I went to Ralph Caretti at PENNTAP.”

Now, at the collection sites, Lieb simply pulls down a menu on the palmtop’s screen and points to the name of the site, the material he is picking up, the amount and then notes any contamination. At the end of the day, when he returns to the office, he places the palmtop in its cradle and it automatically downloads the data into the office computer.

Blimey! British Need Recycling Boost

The British Ministry of the Environment has promised to take measures to boost the country’s residential recycling rates, which are woeful compared to those of European neighbors.

According to a Reuters report, based on 1998 figures just 8% of household solid waste is recycled in England and Wales, while in Scotland the rate is just less than 6%. That compares to rates of 52% in Switzerland and 45% in the Netherlands.

U.K. Environment Minister Michael Meacher says he will introduce requirements for local authorities to introduce or increase curbside collection programs so that a 30% recycling rate is reached by 2010.

In his accompanying statements, Meacher alluded to the environmental benefits of recycling aluminum and other commodities. The initiatives coming from the British government may also encourage waste-to-energy incineration methods versus land-filling.

The program will also reportedly include recycled-content purchasing mandates for British government departments, including the purchase of recycled-content paper.