Recycling in Arlington Parks–Too Few Bottle and Can Recycling Containers

Although Arlington County did add more recycling containers in Arlington parks after the Green Party

complained in July 2007In 2008, there are still many park areas that have too few recycling containersArlington County says it increased its overall rate of recycling…but

Letter submitted to the Editor, Arlington Sun-Gazette, on  September 13, 2008–Commenting on Arlington County’s Increased overall Recycling Rate

I was encouraged to see that the recycling rate for Arlington’s commercial businesses and apartments rose to 33 percent, up from 29 percent three years earlier (“Recycling Rate Up at Businesses, Multifamily Properties,” Sept. 4, Arlington Sun Gazette). According to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the county’s combined recycling rate for detached homes, townhouses, apartments/condos, and commercial businesses was nearly 43 percent in 2006, up 3 percent from 2005.

 

In 2007, there were virtually no recycling containers in any of our public parks. Arlington Green Party members visited four of the county’s 148 parks to rescue recyclables from trashcans. In a matter of hours, we were able to fill up eight large 13-gallon trash bags with recyclables pulled from the garbage. Based upon what we retrieved, we calculated that approximately 3,700 cubic gallons of plastic and metal recyclable containers (the annual equivalent of approximately 5 million one-liter plastic bottles) were being thrown away every day in Arlington’s parks.

 

The Arlington Green Party asked the County Board to install recycling containers in public parks and recreation areas, and the county did respond positively by adding some recycling containers in some, but not all, parks. Perhaps this simple change accounts for the recent increase in the overall commercial recycling rate.

 

Despite the good news, however, Arlington still lags behind the City of Falls Church (with a 52 percent recycling rate) and the champion of Virginia recyclers, the City of Vienna, which recycles 55 percent of its solid waste.

 

According to Arlington’s AIRE program data, only 12 percent of solid waste from apartments is recycled. And 70 percent of Arlington’s solid waste comes from the commercial building and apartment sector (the other 30 percent comes from townhouses and detached homes).

 

So how can Arlington become the top recycling community in Virginia? Clearly, we need to expand recycling opportunities for office workers and apartment dwellers. Owners of commercial buildings, and multi-family housing must pay private haulers for trash and recycling services that can be less flexible and less convenient than the county’s recycling collection program for single-family homeowners.

 

In an effort to help find solutions, we asked county staff to meet with us in July to discuss the recycling programs for commercial buildings and apartments. Unfortunately, to date, county staff has refused to meet with us.

 

If we want a truly environmentally sustainable community, as I believe we all do, then county government must willing to engage all citizens to tackle what is admittedly a difficult problem. I and the members of the Arlington Green Party stand ready to roll up our sleeves and help with this effort—now we just need the county to respond.