CLEVELAND, Ohio — News 5 is Following-Through on a story with a major impact on your community.
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News 5 told you about the return of Cleveland's opt-in recycling program when it was first re-introduced back in June of 2022.
The city said it was gaining steam and effective.
Officials now report there has been a continued success.
They're working to expedite the process and enroll more people in the near future.
They say there will be one noticeable change though.
"It's not that hard to put something in a bin and put it out every week," Cleveland resident Julie Smith said.
Smith says participating in the city's recycling program was a no-brainer situation for herself and her grandchildren on West 123rd Street and Lorain Avenue.
In fact, she says 95% of her neighbors are doing it.
"Trying to bring it back to reduce, reuse, recycle," Smith said.
Now in its second year, the City of Cleveland says there is clear success.
As of November, the city reports that 72,000 of the city's 150,000 homes are now enrolled in the program.
Back in April, the city reported around 70,000 participants.
Contamination is down to 25%
That number isn't where they want it to be.
However, it's progress.
Several years back, the original program reached a staggering 60% contamination rate and was costing the city money.
Ren Brumfield, Recycling Coordinator for the Department of Public Works City of Cleveland, says at this point it's not costing the city money, and he hopes that trend continues.
"Since we started the program June of 2022, we've actually kept more than eight million pounds of material out of the landfill," Brumfield said.
That means roughly 300 tons a month are being kept out of the landfill.
Brumfield says education and awareness have played a critical role.
"People are really paying attention, trying to recycle the right things," Brumfield said.
City of Cleveland officials say the program is simple.
However, you still need to be extra cautious about what you're throwing in your trash versus what you're placing in your recycling bin.
"Things that rot... Food, plants, things like that... They should not go in there because they're not recyclable," Brumfield said.
It's also important to note that cardboard pizza boxes cannot be recycled because of the grease.
Brumfield says 2024 will bring another major, noticeable change to the program.
The stickers showing who has opted into the recycling program will be phased out over time.
Recycling participants will simply have their blue bins at their homes.
For folks who never enrolled in the program, their blue bins will be removed by the city altogether.
This is being done in an effort to clear up confusion and further prevent any sort of contamination issues.
"What's gonna happen going forward is that when you see the blue can, the blue can means that you're in a recycling program... The symbol will no longer be that sticker," Brumfield said.
If you want to enroll in the city of Cleveland's recycling program, call 216-664-3030 OR Dial 3-1-1.
For more information and guidelines, click here.
