Brookhaven residents might not have to question whether they should be putting out the paper and plastics or aluminum recyclables on Wednesday.
Newsday reports that town officials are considering whether to switch from a dual-stream recycling, where different types of recyclables are assigned to alternating weeks, to a single-stream recycling system. This change would allow paper, plastics, glass and aluminum to be picked up every single Wednesday.
Ed Hubbard, a consultant, told Town Board members the switch could increase recycling by up to 20 percent and make the town $750,000 in additional revenue.
A study done by Stony Brook University showed that recycling in the Town of Brookhaven dropped by 11 percent from 1998 to 2009. When the study was unveiled in 2011, former supervisor Mark Lesko said every 5 percent increase in recycling could save the town $1 million in disposal costs and generate $500,000 from the sale of recyclables.
In order to make the switch, Brookhaven would have to make a $6 million upgrade to its materials recovery facility to handle the sorting of recyclables. ReCommunity, a North Carolina-based contractor that has worked for Brookhaven in the past, has offered to cover this cost.
Click here to read more on Newsday [subscription required] about the recycling changes Brookhaven is considering.
Tell us, would you be more likely to recycle if you could put all recyclables out every Wednesday? Does it make a difference?
