(KENOSHA, Wisc.) – The City of Kenosha has begun rolling out new trash and recycling carts for residents as it moves to an automated “single-stream” collection service city-wide, beginning the week of August 24, 2020. An early roll-out began in mid-July in some City neighborhoods.
The new system eliminates manual labor through the usage of an automated waste truck with an attached robotic arm that will pick up the carts to empty trash and recycling. Residents can fill their cart with trash and recycling, store it away, and roll it out on their specific pickup day. If the cart does not need to be emptied, people may keep it until the next collection.
Residents must use only the carts provided by the City; no other containers may be used. Tan carts are designated for trash, which must be bagged. Blue carts are designated for recycling, which must be loose and NOT in bags. Trash and recyclables left outside the carts will not be collected.
Residents’ waste collection days will remain the same, along with A/B recycling collection weeks. Carts must be placed at the end of the driveway by 6 a.m. on collection days – and no earlier than 6:30 p.m. the day prior to collection. Carts must be removed from the public right of way by 8 a.m. the day following collection and properly stored, per City ordinance.
The City applied for and received a grant from The Recycling Partnership, a nonprofit organization that works with city governments nationwide to transform their recycling programs. The City of Kenosha was selected to receive grant support because of its dedication to advancing recycling in the community. The grant from The Recycling Partnership helped pay for 32,000 new carts and includes funding for education and outreach about the new collection process.
“The Recycling Partnership, with support from the American Beverage Association, is proud to partner with the City of Kenosha on curbside recycling carts,” said Cody Marshall, Chief Community Strategy Officer for The Recycling Partnership. “Kenosha’s transition from bagged recycling to recycling carts will expand recycling access for Kenosha residents and make it easier and more efficient for them to recycle. We look forward to working with the City to support local jobs, increase recycling, and protect the environment.”
The City asks that residents continue to do their part by placing only recyclable materials in their carts, including glass bottles and jars, aluminum and steel cans, food and beverage cartons, paper products (including newspapers and flattened cardboard), and empty plastic bottles and containers. To help limit contamination, give food and drink containers a quick rinse and then place them directly into the recycling cart—no sorting needed.
Some items that cannot be recycled include plastic bags, paper towels, pizza boxes, electrical equipment, batteries, styrofoam, egg cartons and clothing. For more information on what can and can’t go into the cart, plus answers to other Frequently Asked Questions, visit https://www.kenosha.org/departments/public-works/automated-waste-collection or contact the Public Works office at 262-653-4050 Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
About The Recycling Partnership
The Recycling Partnership is a national nonprofit organization that leverages corporate partner funding to transform recycling for good in states, cities, and communities nationwide. As the only organization in the country that engages the full recycling supply chain from the corporations that manufacture products and packaging to local governments charged with recycling to industry end markets, haulers, material recovery facilities, and converters. Since 2014, the nonprofit change agent diverted 230 million pounds of new recyclables from landfills, saved 465 million gallons of water, avoided more than 250,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases, and drove significant reductions in targeted contamination rates. Learn more at www.recyclingpartnership.org
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