City of Newark to Conduct Recycle Audits Starting February 24

Refuse collectors aim to reduce contamination and improve recycling habits

Starting Thursday, February 24, the City of Newark will conduct recycling audits during regularly scheduled recycling pick-ups. This is necessary in order to improve the City's compliance with the Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA) guidelines as they relate to recycling contamination. Delivering clean recyclable materials to the Recycle Center allows the City to avoid costly penalties imposed by DSWA when acceptable limits are exceeded.

During the Thursday and Friday routes, Public Works employees will review container contents specifically searching for bagged recycling. Bagged recycling has been identified as the primary contributor to contaminated truckloads delivered to the Recycling Center. As a courtesy over the next two weeks, employees will empty carts completely and leave a tag on the cart with a written explanation of the error. Starting March 10, bagged recyclables will be removed and placed next to the refuse cart.

Other commonly misplaced items that may be identified and removed during the audit are listed below. These items should be placed in the trash cart.

• Styrofoam
• Tanglers, such as ropes or hoses
• Plastic grocery bags
• Shredded paper

"The City of Newark is committed to being a good partner in recycling to its residents as well as the State," said Jason Winterling, PWWR Field Operations Superintendent. "The biggest mistake we observe weekly is improperly bagged recyclables. It is our hope that this outreach and forthcoming audit helps to improve the recycling habits of our residents as well as improve the product delivered to DSWA, reducing our fines in the long term."

Adhesive stickers have been placed on each recycle cart that visually demonstrates what is and is not considered single-stream recycling to use as a reference guide for future collections. Residents are encouraged to contact the Public Works and Water Resources Department at 302.366.7000 if they have questions about recyclable products. The DSWA residential recycling guidelines can also be found here.