BY STEPHANIE BRIEN
Journal Times | Posted: Monday, June 2, 2008 12:00 am
RACINE - Walking along North Beach or near one of the city's public buildings, pedestrians can now see a new feature: blue recycling bins.
City officials began installing the blue recycle bins in April and they can now be found around City Hall, the City Hall Annex, the Racine Public Library, the Safety Building, Festival Hall and at five community centers.
The new bins make it more convenient to recycle and create visibility, said Public Works Commissioner Richard Jones. The steel recycle bins cost a couple hundred dollars each and should last 20-plus years, Jones said.
The bins are installed, but he questions if the program will work. "Will people use them? Will people use them properly?" Jones questioned.
For instance, if people put a lot of garbage in the recycle bins, the contents could become too
contaminated to recycle, Jones said. If people use the bins properly, the city could look to expand the program, Jones said. He would like to see them being used at outdoor festivals.
Former 9th District Alderman Pete Karas worked with Jones to get the recycling bins in Racine.
"We have too much going into our landfills and it's important that the City of Racine recycle," Karas said.
Karas started pushing the idea of public recycle containers after he became frustrated at public events where he couldn't
recycle.
"The garbages are overflowing and there are so many plastic bottles and cans in there," Karas said.
He also heard the same thing from residents who told him about their concerns. The collected recyclables could also bring in revenue for the city, which can turn the collected cans into cash instead of just sending them to the landfill, Karas said.
Before the bins were put in place, people visiting North Beach would have to throw away their recyclables or take them home with them. There was no opportunity to recycle.