Santa Fe, N.M. will make the switch to single-stream collection and processing with the help of a $125,000 grant from The Recycling Partnership. That sum will accompany other funding sources for the estimated $3.5 million cart rollout.
Of the amount provided by the Recycling Partnership, $100,000 will go toward carts and $25,000 toward outreach. The nationwide nonprofit group, which is backed by corporate recycling stakeholders and consumer product brands, will also provide in-kind donations of education and technical support worth an estimated $139,000.
“We enjoy working with our partner cities to achieve a comprehensive and low-stress cart rollout,” Cody Marshall, Recycling Partnership technical assistance director, stated in a press release. “We help establish a workable timeline, troubleshoot problems, and ensure that both the education and the operations sides are working together to give the program the best possible start.”
The $125,000 grant represents just one piece of the funding puzzle for the cart initiative. The Santa Fe City Council in December approved a law for the borrowing of funds from the state to buy carts and automated collection trucks. The city ordinance also increased rates for customers to pay back the debt and help with future cart and vehicle replacements.
Cart distribution is expected to take place in late fall of this year. Glass will not be included in the new cart program, instead being collected at a number of drop-off locations around the city.
The city’s recycling rate is currently below 10 percent.
The Santa Fe project is the last of the 2015 round of grants from The Recycling Partnership. The group is currently accepting applications for the 2016 round.
