Survey of Public Space Recycling Programs
In 2007, the New York City Department of Sanitation, Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse & Recycling published a report of their recycling program. As part of this report, the department did an overview of how multiple other cities handled reyclying in public spaces. This 6-page document is an excerpted appendix that report.
It summarizes the efforts of four global cities that offer extensive streetside or parks-based permanent venues for recycling paper, cans and bottles.
Each case study gives a brief description of city demographics, sorting techniques, container types and locations, contamination rates, and diversion results. Profiled cities are Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; London, England; and Toronto, Canada.
This collection of case studies is useful as a quick reference of what other cities are doing. It provides enough detail to understand the trade-offs of different collection approaches and container types, and provides perspective for cities in the planning process.
