Delaware Advisory Group Mulling Steps to Boost Recycling

The Recycling Public Advisory Council is in discussions on steps and strategies that can be taken to increase the municipal recycling rate in the state.

One step that is being discussed is converting an Intermediate Processing Center to a MRF. The advisory council have called for development within two years of a new complex to process and sort curbside recycling pickups, saying the center could help boost Delaware's low recycling rate.

The RPAC is made up of a cross section of members in the state, including government officials, members of the state Solid Waste Authority, non-profit environmental groups, haulers, and others.

The complex being proposed would be designed to separate unsorted wastes such as glass, cans and plastic bottles and prepare them for market deliveries.

According to local press reports, a recent study estimated that the processing facility could cost up to $3.9 million.

At the present time the Delaware Solid Waste Authority operates a network of more than 140 drop-off centers where residents sort wastes into separate bins. State subsidies for Recycle Delaware were more than $3.8 million last year. The Advisory Council, however, is looking at developing a mandatory residential curbside collection program in New Castle County, the most populous county in the state. At the present time the residential recycling rate is only 6 percent. However, the state is seeking to boost that recovery rate to around 30 percent.