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June 12, 2008

Komiske says recycling running smoothly

By Andrew Knittle

Despite some early hiccups, Norman's curbside recycling program is now up and running smoothly and boasts a higher-than-average participation rate, Ken Komiske, the city's director of utilities, said Thursday.

"The first month was tough, the drivers missed a street here, an alley there, but we're in our third month now and complaints have dropped significantly," he said.

Curbside recycling started March 3 after voters overwhelmingly approved the new program last May.

Early tallies are encouraging, Komiske said.

"In the first month, we had a 50 percent participation rate. In the second month it dropped to 42 percent, but that's still really, really good," he said. "Most places are happy if they can get a third of the people to participate, so we're doing very good here."

Komiske said numbers for last month won't be ready for a couple of weeks, but he doesn't expect too much to change in terms of participation.

As for what people are putting in the green bins, Komiske said paper makes up "at least half" of what is processed at the city's recycling center.

In the first month, more than 292 tons were recycled. The second month dropped to 267 tons, Komiske said.

Problems and complaints have been few and far between. Komiske said the biggest complaint is about something only Mother Nature can control.

"The main complaints have been because the bins blow around in the wind, so we're encouraging people to write their addresses somewhere on the container so it can be returned," he said.

Reports of people walking around taking aluminum cans -- the most valuable items the city collects -- out of bins before they are picked up haven't been a big issue, but Komiske said it could become one if the problem continues to persist and grow.

"Once the materials are in the recycling bins, it's the property of Waste Managment," he said. "I've heard something about people taking cans out of bins, but nobody here has seen it happen."

Metro Canbank, which operates the unmanned collection sites around the city that pay cash for aluminum cans, hasn't seen any suspicious activity at its locations, owner Louis Clary said Thursday evening.

"We aren't experiencing any increases," he said.

Mitch Tindell, who lives just north of Norman High School, said he's never seen anybody stealing cans from the bins, but heard that people around Faculty Heights may be doing so.

A survey of Faculty Heights, a small neighborhood just east of the Lindsey Street and Classen Boulevard intersection, didn't turn up any witnesses to the possible thefts.

Justin Wycoff, who lives in the area, said he hadn't noticed any aluminum thefts, either.

"Before it [curbside recycling] there used to be a lady who collected cans out of the Dumpster near that pink building at Virginia and Brooks, but I haven't seen her lately," he said.

The curbside program is provided to most Norman residents for $3 a month. Waste Managment, a private contractor, picks up and sells the recyclables as part of its agreement with the city.

For more information about Norman's curbside recycling program, visit www.recyclenorman.com.

Andrew Knittle 366-3527 aknittle@normantranscript.com

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