BuffaloNews  -  Changes to the residential recycling system in the Town of Niagara have been postponed due to inclement weather.

Supervisor Lee S. Wallace said last week that scheduled plans to distribute bigger recycling containers to homeowners in early February had to be put on hold because of bad winter weather.

Each residential property owner is expected to be given a 95-gallon recycling cart to replace the smaller bins that are now in use. An agreement with Republic Services outlined the new system in November.

Republic, the firm contracted to collect recycling and refuse, is planning to provide enough carts to the town for each of the estimated 3,200 residential parcels. The wheeled carts will come from ones used by Republic on Grand Island. Republic lost the recycling contract with Grand Island late last year to the low bidder on the contract, Pinto Trucking.

The carts need to be cleaned before distribution and the weather has not cooperated, Wallace explained.

Residents will be allowed to continue to use the smaller bins instead, even when the new ones are in use.

Once the large carts are in place, recycling will be picked up every two weeks. The carts, unlike the smaller totes, are lifted by the Republic truck for emptying, instead of by workers. In addition, the carts can accommodate much more paper, plastic and metal debris than the totes; they also have a cover so recycling stays in the cart.

About 70 percent of residents responded in favor of recycling on the town Facebook page. The procedure and instructions for the new carts have been sent to residents in advance, Wallace explained, along with a menu of what can be recycled. An instructional video may be posted on the town website, too.

Republic expects to recoup more of its costs for collecting recycling under the new system as more material will be picked up more frequently and efficiently, according to Mike Parham, the general manager.

Courtesy : buffalonews.com