Fayetteville, Arkansas, adopts new cart-based recycling program

Fayetteville, Arkansas has adopted a new all-in-one cart-based recycling program to replace the city’s existing residential program.  

The current program supplies residents with two green 18-gallon bins. The new cart-based program provides residents with a single, larger blue cart where all accepted recyclables besides glass can be placed. 

The city will begin rolling out the new recycling carts in May, and a new fleet of recycling trucks will begin making collections June 1. Between now and then, residents are able to select their preferred recycling cart size: 95-gallon, 65-gallon or 35-gallon. 

There is no cost difference between the cart sizes. The city applied for and received a grant from The Recycling Partnership (TRP), which will provide more than 28,000 new carts and includes funding for education and outreach about the new collection process. 

Residents will not have to separate materials before taking them to the curb, and recycling drivers will not have to sort materials. The city will continue to collect glass at the curb in a separate bin for pickup every other week and encourages households to keep their green bins to use for glass collection. 

The city says the new recycling carts will begin arriving at residents’ homes in May. Each cart will be delivered with a packet of information on what can and cannot be recycled. 

In August 2024, the city contracted with Raftelis Financial Consultants to conduct a recycling and trash collection rate study, which includes a 10-year financial plan and proposed five-year rate schedule for solid waste. 

The study states that, according to the city’s September 2024 waste characterization study, a significant volume of both recyclables and organic materials was identified within the municipal solid waste stream. The analysis determined a recycle capture rate of 40 percent of the total identified recoverable materials. 

Raftelis found that the low recycling capture rate is likely due to lack of convenience and scalability of the current curb-sort bin recycling program. By switching to the new cart-based program, the city expects to divert twice as much from the landfill. 

The city says the new program will cost less than its current program in the long run and will reduce injuries and hazards for employees. 

According to the study, key benefits of the new program include: