RECYCLING IN NEW ORLEANS

Recycling is one of the best things you can do personally for the environment and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. You reduce garbage and by doing so protect natural resources, decrease global warming and save energy.*

After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans’ recycling program came to a halt due to lack of funding. Even prior to Katrina there was discussion of ending the program because of lack of public interest. The new city-wide curbside recycling program was just re-initiated and after two months only 22 percent of residents have signed up for the service.** Currently, New Orleans only has a 2 percent participation rate according to a Times-Picayune article.***

Even though participation is off to a slow start, in the first six weeks of the curbside recycling program over 500 tons of garbage was diverted from landfills.** A spokesperson for Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Ryan Berni, says he believes the key to increased use of the program is education and public awareness.

Residents can apply for curbside recycling online at: http://www.nola.gov/RESIDENTS/Department-Of-Sanitation/Curbside-Recycling/.

* http://www.nrdc.org/recycling/default.asp

** http://mattermore.net/2011/10/25/nola-struggles-to-get-recycling-rates-up-post-katrina/

*** http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2011/07/new_orleans_recycling_effort_n.html

Next week: Recycling and Mardi Gras. What you can do to off-set the amount of garbage that ends up in landfills.