New York City to resume recycling of plastics & glass

NYC will resume glass and plastic recycling, a decision lauded by environmentalists who said City Hall had sent the wrong message to New Yorkers and the nation when it suspended the programme a year ago.

The UK Guardian reports that the city had suspended glass and plastic recycling last year as part of an effort to close a multibillion-dollar deficit. Metal and paper recycling were not affected. City officials estimated they could save US$40 million by suspending glass and plastic recycling. Critics suggested the savings would never reach that level. Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty said Thursday that the city had saved slightly less than the estimate.

In the budget deal reached Wednesday by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City Council, the city plans to restore plastic recycling Tuesday, the start of the fiscal year. Restoration of glass recycling is scheduled for April 1. Doherty said glass and plastic recycling was still an expense, but the city had worked out better contracts that will lower costs.

Newspaper recycling, a revenue-producer rather than an expense, went down over the past year as confused residents began dropping their newspapers in the trash.