Seattle threatens non-recyclers with $50 fines

One of the best large urban areas in the world for recycling, the city in Washington State has now banned residents and businesses from leaving “significant amounts” of recyclable paper, cans and plastic bottles in their general rubbish.

Seattle recycles about 40% of its waste, but has been unable to meet a long-set target to recycle 60%. The “Prohibition of Recyclables in Garbage” measure is an attempt by the city to reverse the decline in Seattle's recycling rates that has been seen since the peak of 44% in 1995.

Commenting on the move, City of Seattle mayor Greg Nickels said: “Although most Seattle businesses and residents already recycle, we know this may be a big change for some. We've informed our customers about the new ordinance and are providing them with free assistance to help make the transition as smooth as possible.”

The ban relates specifically to “significant amounts” of recyclables – defined as more than 10% of the container by volume – being left in general refuse bins, with the exception of material contaminated with food waste.

The new regulation regime came into force at the beginning of 2005, and now those that do not comply will receive “educational notice tags” on their bins. From 2006, the city authorities have said those failing to recycle will face $50 fines or delayed collection services.

Services
The city is planning several new recycling services in 2005, including food waste collections and kerbside recycling collections for businesses.

Mr Nickels said: “These new programmes are a key step in re-establishing Seattle as a national leader in recycling. Recycling is important to the city, because it saves money, it's good for the environment, and it's a sustainable business practice that will keep us in business for years to come.”

The city of Seattle played host to UK civil servants before government moves to increase recycling levels here. The US city's Clean Washington Center helped shape the thinking behind the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) being set up to develop markets for recycle material in the UK (see letsrecycle.com story).

In the UK, most urban councils are struggling to recycle much more than 10% of household waste, with only the London borough of Barnet compelling residents to recycle their waste with the threat of fines (see letsrecycle.com story).