Pulaski County records increase in recycling

The Regional Recycling and Waste Reduction District has reported an increase in curbside and electronics recycling from this time last year, according to announcements last week from the district.

The district collected 81 tons of electronics for its latest biannual electronics recycling drive, and 3,555 tons of recycling in its residential program in the first three months of 2018. That’s up from 43 tons of electronics last year and 3,151 tons of recycling in the first three months of recycling last year.

“However, anywhere from a quarter to a third of the tonnage was deemed ‘contaminated,’ meaning the curbside recycling carts contained non-recyclable materials that should have been deposited in residential garbage or trash bins for landfilling,” the district’s announcement read.

The district lamented improper materials being placed in recycling bins and in late February launched its first ad campaign and a partnership with THV11 to educate residents on what they can and cannot recycle.

The electronics drive was April 25-26 at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock. It was open to Pulaski County residents and businesses.

That 81-ton total is an 88 percent increase from the spring drive last year, a jump the district attributed to marketing and two days of collection. The district will host another electronics recycling drive in the fall, the dates for which have not yet been announced. It offers electronics recycling pickup for businesses and has five drop-off centers in the county with varying hours of operation that can be found on the district’s redesigned website, RegionalRecycling.org.

The district is a state regional solid waste district but it operates only in Pulaski County.