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To reach its zero waste goal of 80 percent scrap diversion by 2032, the District of Columbia’s Department of Public Works (DPW) will begin offering a toolkit with resources to help apartment buildings, condominiums and cooperatives deliver recycling programs to the more than 400,000 residents.
According to a news release from the DPW, the toolkit development was made possible through a grant from The Recycling Partnership, a recycling nonprofit based in Falls Church, Virginia.
“At a time when the multifamily sector is seeing extraordinary growth, we are thrilled to provide a Multifamily Zero Waste Guide, dynamic videos and a host of other resources,” says Christine Davis, DPW interim director for Washington. “These resources are designed to help buildings come into compliance with recycling requirements, if they aren’t already, and help buildings that are providing recycling access to their residents today go from good to great.”
The DPW requires that multifamily buildings provide recycling collection to their residents, communicate with them annually and ensure that janitorial staff members know how the recycling program works. The DPW says while more than 50 percent of the scrap that multifamily buildings generate is recyclable, only 13 percent is collected for recycling today.
In August, The Recycling Partnership launched its Multifamily Recycling Guide and Community Toolkit, to provide communities nationwide with free customizable resources and templates to use in their outreach to multifamily property owners, managers and residents.
The DPW says it will send mailers to residents that highlight the recycling requirements that buildings must meet and the new resources that the Multifamily Toolkit contains to help buildings manage effective recycling programs. Inspectors with DPW’s Solid Waste Education & Enforcement Program have completed more than 150 inspections of multifamily building recycling programs this summer and will continue to ensure that recycling access is available to all Washington residents.
“Prioritizing recycling at multifamily residences helps create more equitable access to recycling while unlocking a supply of much-needed materials used in creating new products and packaging,” says Craig Wittig, director of community programs at The Recycling Partnership.