Florida County Joins Curbside Value Partnership

Despite the population growth that Pasco County, Fla., is experiencing, the city’s participation rate for curbside recycling is headed in the opposite direction. The community is seeking to reverse that trend by joining the Aluminum Can Council’s Curbside Value Partnership.

According to the U.S. Census, Pasco County’s population increased by 24.5 percent from 2000 to 2005, far above the national average of 5.3 percent. Despite this growth, Pasco has seen a decline in curbside recycling participation.

In an effort to reverse the declining participation, the county began a pilot program to compare blue-bag with two-bin curbside recycling collection systems in August of 2006. The pilot is also looking at whether enhancing communications to residents has a favorable effect on participation rates.

“What is happening in Pasco County is not unique,” says Steve Thompson, director of recycling initiatives for the Aluminum Can Council. “In fact, a recent study showed us that 51 percent of communities with curbside recycling are considering a change to their programs in the near future. They are all feeling the pinch and are walking a daily tightrope of cost cutting and burgeoning development.”

Like many communities, Pasco currently has a blue-bag system in which residents place their recyclables in blue bags that they purchase at local stores. Recycables are collected every other week. The pilot program will evaluate participation rates for more frequent collections and for different containers. Paper has also been added to materials accepted for curbside pickup. The material was not accepted previously in light of its weight. 

Under the pilot, a portion of Meadow Pointe, a suburban Tampa community, has been divided into two routes. Route A received two free rigid bins for their recycables, which are collected weekly. Route B received free blue bags, which are also collected weekly.

“The data secured from this pilot will not only be useful to Pasco County, but also to other curbside programs nationwide,” Thompson says. “Our studies have shown that participation rates among blue-bag programs can be dismal—averaging around 12 percent—compared to 41 percent for single stream and 22 percent for dual stream. We hope to use this data to show other communities that container choice can affect participation.”

The three-month pilot concludes in mid-October, and data will be collected in November. Public results are expected in December.

The Aluminum Association and the Can Manufacturers Institute joined forces as the Aluminum Can Council to form the Curbside Value Partnership (CVP). According to the Aluminum Can Council, the CVP was created to increase residential participation in local curbside recycling programs and to make curbside programs more profitable and sustainable.

Current CVP partner communities include Kansas City, Mo.; Brevard County, Fla.; Indian River, Fla.; Denver; Orlando, Fla.; and Dallas.

More information is available at www.RecycleCurbside.org.