To step up enforcement of the county’s mandatory recycling law, Westchester County has embarked on a re-education and enforcement effort to get people to sort more recyclables from their trash and remind them that recycling is not an option: it’s the law.

Recyclables that are not properly separated will not get picked up either by municipal or private haulers. 

County Executive Andy Spano said, “Westchester’s communities have taken recycling seriously and have consistently exceeded the New York State mandated goal of 40 percent recycling.  But everyone needs to set their sights higher. Recycling is unquestionably one of the most important efforts we can all make to conserve natural resources and protect the environment – people cannot afford to be complacent. We all need to do more.”

Spano said that when the mandatory Source Separation Law was adopted in 1992, Westchester County was recycling only about nine percent of its trash. In the first eight years that the law was in effect, recycling rates had grown nearly five times to 42 percent in 2000.  In 2006, the recycling rate topped off at 46 percent.

“We’re moving in the right direction but not moving fast enough or high enough,” Spano said. “In the last six years, the recycling rate has essentially leveled off.”  Spano said that in addition to the fact that conserving natural resources is wise environmentally, there is a major economic advantage to recycling. “The more we can divert recyclables that have a market value, the more we can offset the cost of garbage removal that is ultimately charged back to taxpayers.” 

Th county has started in January to accept recyclables from private haulers at its Material Recovery Facility in Yonkers.  “Providing this option will not only be more convenient for private haulers, it will generate additional revenues to support the county’s ongoing waste management and recycling initiatives,” said Spano.  “I am very pleased that private haulers as well as municipal officials are on board with this effort.”

At Spano’s direction, the county has embarked on an aggressive outreach program to remind residents, businesses and others that recycling is not only the right thing to do to keep our environment clean and green, it is also the law.  Postcards were mailed to every Westchester household to let people know that starting Jan. 7, 2008, municipal and private haulers will tag trash receptacles with bright yellow warning stickers when they pick up garbage that has been mixed with recyclables and that beginning Feb. 1, 2008, trash will not be picked up unless it is properly separated.

Letters have also been sent to municipal officials, schools, businesses, hospitals and private haulers to remind them of the requirements of the Source Separation Law and their legal obligations.  Workshops have been held with many of these groups, and the county is developing a number of tools to help them with their compliance efforts:

• An instructional video to help those managing waste disposal whether in schools, government buildings or private businesses to find out how they can further improve their recycling efforts
  
• A recycling audit/inspection checklist that complements the video
  
• Informational materials on collection and disposal opportunities

All of these materials will soon be available at www.westchestergov.com/recycling or by calling the Recycling HelpLine at (914) 813-5420.