Bradenton recycling sees ‘huge improvement’ as residents get used to drop-off sites
It’s been three months since the city of Bradenton made a significant change to how recycling materials are collected, and the program is seeing great success, officials say.
Since the beginning of June, Bradenton has only done curbside garbage and yard waste collection, leaving residents to transport their recycling to one of several drop-off sites throughout the city. According to city officials, the change means more recycling is actually being processed.
Before switching from curbside pickup to collection centers, Bradenton leaders said as much as 70% of recyclables would end up at the landfill instead. Recycling materials don’t get recycled when there’s too much regular trash mixed in, according to city officials.
But with dedicated drop-off centers for residents, there’s been a massive turnaround. As of Tuesday afternoon, a city spokesperson said the vast majority of recycling from the drop-off centers has been successfully recycled.
“All of the sites are experiencing 80-90% clean usable recycle material,” Jeannie Roberts, Bradenton’s public information officer, wrote in an email to the Bradenton Herald. “This is a huge improvement over the 70% contamination rate we were getting at curbside.”
Reached for comment Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Gene Brown also thanked residents for cooperating and praised the city’s updated recycling program.
“When people are taking the effort to drive it over, it’s done properly,” Brown said. “The city’s goal all along was not to lessen the recycling but to grow the recycling.”
In February, Public Works Director Jim McLellan said the city’s recycling trucks were so contaminated with regular trash that there was just “an illusion of recycling,” but during a recent Bradenton City Council meeting, he touted the lasted numbers.
More residents are using the recycling drop-off points, and they’re becoming more popular, McLellan explained.
“It’s going to continue to rise,” he said, referring to the city’s monthly recycling tonnage.
Bradenton first announced changes to the recycling program in July 2021, pointing to a shortage of available truck drivers. Despite a series of financial incentives, that shortage remains in place. Other Florida cities have been forced to eliminate recycling entirely.
But city leaders are constantly monitoring the recycling program and tweaking the system to make sure the collection bins are emptied frequently and installed at popular locations.
In the coming months, Brown wants to find a way to bring back curbside recycling pickup.
“We are recycling more than we were before. How can we grow that more? We could double or triple it. Maybe this is what we needed to get to the next level. Hopefully, when we bring back the curbside (pickup), we’ll have even more.”
Visit www.CityOfBradenton.com for more information about the city’s recycling program.
