High-rise trash plan tested

Helen Shiller (46th) wants residents who live in high-rise and residential buildings of four or more units to do a better job of recycling their garbage. The city's recycling ordinance requires such buildings to recycle at least 25 percent of their waste.

In conjunction with Mayor Daley's expansion of the "blue cart" recycling pilot program, Shiller is implementing a separate pilot where larger buildings that contract with private waste haulers can design their own recycling programs that best meet residents' needs.

"The 46th ward has a very small number of buildings where waste is actually picked up by the city," Shiller told the Belmont Harbor Neighbors on Nov. 28.

"We want to look at issues and problems that people have. We're looking at the barriers to recycling, as well as the solutions," she added.

The city's Streets and Sanitation Department has been testing its "blue cart" separate collection recycling program on the South Side for residents living in single-family homes or residential buildings smaller than four units that typically participate in the city's "blue bag" recyclable program.

The "blue cart" program allows residents to place recyclable bagged or loose materials -- including aluminum, plastics, tin and paper -- into the carts, which are picked up every other week during regularly scheduled trash pickup days. The city's current "blue bag" program, introduced in 1995, allows residents to dispose both recyclables and regular trash in the same city-issued trash receptacle.

Starting in January, the "blue cart" pilot program will expand to seven wards. The 46th and 47th wards are scheduled to be phased into the "blue cart" pilot program next August. Shiller wants a multi-unit pilot in place to provide "real world" data on recycling in higher density buildings that she hopes will shape future, citywide, recycling policies.

Shiller expected information gathered from the "blue cart" pilot, as well as her own pilot for multi-unit buildings, to lead to revisions in the city's recycling ordinance.

"When we're done with our pilot, we're going to come to some conclusion to change the way the city does (its recycling program)," she added.

City laws require high rises and other larger residential buildings to have written procedures for recycling available for city inspectors. Those buildings that contract with private waste haulers receive city rebates for recycling pickup. The rebates are distributed only if such buildings can demonstrate compliance with the city's recycling ordinance.

Shiller said double trash chutes for recyclables and regular trash will be included in the senior and affordable residential buildings in the Wilson Yard development. She also is proposing similar modifications for trash chutes in high rise buildings for separate disposal of recyclables and regular trash.

During a second recycling community forum held at Truman College last month, residents wishing to participate in the voluntary multi-unit recycling program were able to meet with officials from the Departments of Environment and Streets and Sanitation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Residents also were able to meet with private waste haulers and consultants serving the 46th ward.

"We want to identify those new technologies that people may want to test and get grants to figure out a way (for buildings) to pay for it," Shiller said.

Shiller said 40 buildings within the 46th ward already have agreed to participate in the multi-unit recycling pilot, including the ward's two tallest buildings, at 44 stories.

"My goal is to figure out what people are doing so we can be a little bit ahead of the game," Shiller said.

The multi-unit recycling pilot program is open to condo and rental buildings with four or more units. Building owners, condominium and tenant associations are being asked to complete a survey of their buildings' current recycling methods, which can be downloaded from www.AldermanShiller.com, or by calling the 46th ward office at (773) 878-4646 for more information.

Shiller said information from the building surveys will be assessed by the city's Department of Environment and shared at a community forum in January.