Recycling in Phoenix Increased During the Coronavirus Outbreak

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): As a result of more people staying at home because of the pandemic, the collection of organic and recyclable waste in Phoenix has increased 20%, according to Joe Giudice, assistant director of the city’s Public Works Department.“We have seen an increase in the volume of material that people are putting out, so both the trash cart, the recycling cart and for those residents that have subscribed (to) yard waste collection, all three have seen an increase,” Giudice said.

Although more waste is being created, uncontaminated recyclables are not being sent to landfills. Programs have continued to sort and recycle waste that has been collected in the city. Cities across Arizona have responded to the pandemic in different ways. Mesa, for example, has paused recycling collection services to cut down on costs.

But the Arizona Recycling Coalition, a nonprofit that promotes greener statewide practices, hasn’t noticed any drastic widespread changes for the state, said Dylan Lenzen, representative for the coalition. However, he said some cities, including Mesa, have made changes due to economic hardships and labor shortages in waste collection.“It really is just kind of a temporary stop in services, and I think they have the intention of returning those services,” Lenzen said of Mesa, the state’s third-largest city.

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantage.com