Important City of Tulsa Recycling Meeting Tonight!

For Midtown residents and beyond, tonight marks an important step in drawing attention to the often-overlooked topic of recycling!

At 6pm at All Souls Unitarian Church (2952 S. Peoria Ave.), District 9 Councillor G.T. Bynum will host a meeting to discuss Tulsa's current refuse and recycling policies.

Bynum wrote in his email to constituents that "In 2012 the City of Tulsa’s current trash contracts will expire, requiring that the City design, request, and bid new services for the city. Our meeting Monday will be the beginning of an ongoing discussion of what the end of this contract means for you, what steps will be taken before the 2012 deadline, and – most importantly – the opportunities we have to ensure our new trash system meets our city’s needs.

Members of the Tulsa Authority for the Recovery of Energy (TARE), the City’s Refuse and Recycling Task Force, and the Tulsa Public Works Department will also be in attendance to answer any questions you have, and to hear your suggestions, comments, and concerns regarding where we currently are, and where we want to go. "

This is the time to make your voice heard regarding what you think should change in Tulsa's recycling program! We have lots to do before we reach the levels of recycling that other states have, so let's get going and be proactive!!

Things people could suggest:
--once a week curbside recycling service
--making recycling a part of regular utilities services, instead of an option
--changing the trash service to a "pay-as-you-throw" service
--implementing incentives, or at least removing disincentives, to the current recycling program
--larger recycling bins
--better education regarding recycling
--education or legislation so that green waste (leaves, grass clippings, branches, etc.) are composted instead of put in the landfill
--limits on the amount of "bulky waste" residents can throw out (currently residents can request unlimited pickups of bulky waste)

According to a presentation by Eric Lee, Tulsa residents recycled only 1.17% of their waste in 2008, meaning that 98.83% went into the landfill. Ugh! This represents from 182 to 221 pounds of waste disposed of per household, per month! Yikes!

Currently, District 9 has the highest recycling rate in Tulsa (21.55%), followed by District 8 (18.17%) and District 4 (17.19%). The districts that recycle the least are Districts 3, 1, and 6, respectively, with rates of 2.90%, 2.91%, and 4.75%.

See you tonight at All Souls!!!