Drop Old Recycling Bins off on Saturday

The thousands of retired green and blue recycling bins kicking around Cranston residents' garages and yards can get a new lease on life on Saturday as the city is hosting a collection drive.

The bins will be recycled by Full Circle Recycling of Johnston and residents are encouraged to drop off their old bins from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cranston Ice Rink parking lot at 900 Phenix Avenue.

Residents are also welcome to bring old trash cans that are no longer needed thanks to the rollout of 65-gallon trash carts as part of a new waste contract that brought automated trash collection to the city at the beginning of July.

The new trash contract is expected to save the city about $200,000 per year over the prior contract but it has met some resistance from residents and several elected officials who say the 65-gallon bins aren't enough, or are balking at the $18 per item bulky pickup fee.

The $200,000 figure does not include the $70,000 cost for a city recycling coordinator. Cranston Mayor Allan W. Fung has been citing a $130,000 cost savings in recent debates against gubernatorial challenger Ken Block.

Advocates for the contract said the new bins will help to put a lid on the ongoing rat infestation plaguing the city since the new bins have permanently attached lids. 

It also stands to give the city's recycling rate a boost. As it stands, the city's rate is 23 percent — far below the 35 percent the state wants each municipality to meet, else they face higher tipping fees at the Central Landfill in Johnston.

In communities that have the newer bins, which are designed to work with automated collection trucks with large mechanical arms that grab and empty them, recycling rates tend to increase since recyclables can be stuffed into the bin without specific bagging or bundling requirements. 

City officials said in several interviews this week that complaints about trash have dropped about 80 percent this week after phones were ringing off the hook when the new trash plan kicked in July 1.

Chief of Staff Carlos Lopez said residents are quickly realizing that the key to getting trash to fit in the new 65-gallon carts is recycling more. 

"It's an adjustment period," Lopez said. "People are realizing that almost everything nowadays can be recycled and for a lot of people, the only thing that really ends up in the trash bin is organic matter."

Things like plastic iced coffee cups from Dunkin Donuts can be recycled, along with virtually all plastics (except plastic bags), paper products and more. 

Though some families are still having trouble and Director of Constituent Affairs Jeff Barone said many have opted to fork over the $190 for an additional 65-gallon waste bin. And it has come with much grumbling.

Other instances involving mattresses on the side of the road and other bulky items or trash that has not been picked up on regular trash days, Lopez said in most cases, there is an appointment for removal sometime in the future but residents often leave things out long in advance. In other cases, crews from the highway department have been dispatched to deal with issues of dumping.

For a full story about Cranston's adjustment to the new trash reality, stay tuned for another story in the coming days.