Get ready to recycle those three pesky, plastic color-coded recycling bins.
Waste Management, which handles recycling for all of unincorporated Snohomish County, is introducing new all-in-one containers that will allow people to put all recyclables in one place for pick-up.
In addition to easier sorting, people will be able to recycle several items that have historically not been allowed, including clean milk and juice cartons, clean frozen-food boxes, all plastic bottles, jars and jugs, and plastic dairy tubs.
The new system also makes for fewer pick-ups, which will now happen every two weeks rather than weekly.
Waste Management and Snohomish County officials believe the new bins will boost recycling in the 70,000 homes in the unincorporated parts of the county, and Mukilteo and Stanwood.
"We’ve seen in the statistics that people do recycle more when it’s more convenient, easier and they can recycle more things," said Steve Goldstein, principal planner for Snohomish County Public Works.
Goldstein said he lives in Shoreline, where all-in-one containers have been in use for nearly two years, and finds the single bins quite useful.
"You just toss it all in one container, that’s all there is to it," he said. "Suddenly, there’s no sorting to do."
After Waste Management gets every home in unincorporated Snohomish County on line, its contract cities will have a chance to start the service, as well, said Tim Crosby, district manager for Waste Management Northwest. But that won’t happen until the first or second quarter of 2004.
Crosby said the company has already seen results in King and Skagit counties.
"In Mount Vernon, we’ve seen about a 20 percent increase in recycled materials," Crosby said of the company’s most-recent crossover.
Crosby said the increase could actually be even higher, because recycling is measured by weight, and items in the old, open containers often got wet, making them heavier.
The new containers hold 96-gallons and have lids and wheels, making them easier to use, officials said.
Still, the real secret behind the change is not the container, but at the other end of the process — a new recycling center in Woodinville that features state-of-the-art technology that sorts the materials for you.
"This is the most modern and one of the largest (recycling centers) this side of the Mississippi," Crosby said.
Cly Lewis, manager of the Cascade Recycling Center in Woodinville, fired up the system for real on Monday and watched as various spinning discs and screens weeded out plastics from aluminum, glass and paper.
"We’re really excited with what we’ve seen so far," Lewis said of the new operation.
Residents in unincorporated parts of south Snohomish County will start getting their new containers delivered this month. Each container will have a date indicating when people should start using it.
The new pick-up schedule in Snohomish County won’t go into effect until at least Oct. 17, Crosby said, and will be phased in from south to north until the end of the year.
People can keep their old containers for extra recyclables, storage or other uses. Curbside recycling costs are automatically included in garbage fees and customers won’t see any changes in their bills because of the new bins. Extra recyclables are accepted at no additional cost.
Reporter Victor Balta: 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet.com.
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