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
Local news
Komiske says recycling running smoothly
- Local news
-
-
Woman in critical condition
A hospital official said a Norman woman remains in critical condition after emergency responders reportedly extricated her from her vehicle....
-
Western Avenue to close for expansion to four-lane highway
On Monday, residents in northwest Norman will be a little closer to having a four-lane highway with paved shoulders as construction begins on 60th Avenue Northwest, also known as Western Avenue. When completed, the rural four-lane will ...
-
School districts ready to go mobile
In October, Norman Public Schools introduced an innovative communications tool with School Connect, a mobile app for Android and Apple phones, which enabled users to access virtually any school-related information with a tap on their touch ...
-
Eye for beauty
Beauty may be hard to measure, but it carries a price tag. For Norman City Council members, developers and the University North Park Architectural Review Board, balancing aesthetics with the cost of doing business has become an ongoing ...
-
Norman Youth Council accepting applications
The deadline to apply for Norman Youth Council is March 30. Interested high school students are encouraged to apply. Youth council is comprised of sophomore, junior and senior high school students who reside within Norman....
-
Dispatcher reports need for extraction after wreck
A Wednesday night car crash in northwest Norman placed one driver in the hospital....
-
Tiger followed his gut on making college decision
In the end, Donovan Roberts went with his gut. It was his gut that the Norman High senior relied on when he originally committed to Arkansas, and it’s what led him to sign with the Razorbacks on Wednesday, despite a late push from the ...
-
Man is still in critical condition
A 61-year-old Patriot Guard Rider from Norman remains in critical condition after being involved in a two-vehicle crash Friday morning. His wife, Cindy Ayers, is maintaining her bedside vigil....
-
Lexington manager remains on leave
Lexington City Manager Jason Orr remains on administrative leave with pay, though the city will have to take action in less than a week. Jason Orr’s first court appearance is set for Feb. 15....
-
Cushing residents closely watching pipeline’s fate
CUSHING — While the Keystone XL pipeline has been grabbing national headlines, Cushing residents and businesses have watched the fate of the line with personal interest....
- More Local news Headlines
-
Woman in critical condition
