Letter from the Chair

"Too Good to Through Away"
Dallas Improved Curbside Recycling
 

Our city has taken another step forward in making its single-family residential recycling more user-friendly. These are the major changes:

• NO SEPARATION: All items can now be commingled in a blue or clear plastic bag; no need for separating out the paper products.
• MORE ITEMS ACCEPTED: Additional materials that were not previously accepted are Plastics #4, 5 and 7; milk cartons and drink boxes; phonebooks and corrugated cardboard.

The frequency of collection of garbage and recyclables has not changed. If you don't know your collection day, dial 311 or check the city website at www.dallascityhall.com/dallas/eng/html/recycling.html.

Although this represents progress, we're not done yet. Many of our council members understand that the best practice is once-weekly garbage collection combined with weekly recycling using the same kind of large permanent cart that the city provides for garbage. And the current program only serves half of the city's residents - those who live in single-family houses. We still need to craft a plan to service apartment complexes as well. So much work remains to be done. In the meantime, please print out the "Too Good to Throw Away" flyer and post it where you'll be reminded of the changes. Print more copies of the flyer and give it to your friends and neighbors. Pick up some free recycling bags at your neighborhood recreation center.

If you want to join our Recycling Outreach Team and help educate Dallas citizens about these changes, contact me and I'll make sure you receive notice of the next training.

Ann Drumm
Dallas Sierra Club Chair
ann@dallassierraclub.org