Recycling new products saves fees, makes profiit
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz announced the immediate expansion of the city's recycling program to include new waste products such as paper fiber and aluminum products in order to save on fees and generate city revenue at a press conference Monday.
George Dreckmann, Madison recycling coordinator, spoke at the conference and said the expansion is possible due to a growing world wide shortage of paper fiber and the aluminum companies' increasing desire to capture more material.
We believe that we will be able to recycle up to 300 additional tons of material annually because of this change,\ Cieslewicz said in a news release. ""That will save over $8,000 in landfill fees and generate $3,000 in new revenue.""
The city of Madison was first in the United States to establish a recycling program when it began to recycle newspapers in 1968, Cieslewicz said.
Dreckmann said aluminum foil products, not the foil itself, would be recycled.
""Aluminum foil is really thin, and when it goes in to be melted, it goes to gas right away,"" Dreckmann said. ""[Foil products] have enough body that it doesn't.""
According to Dreckmann, aluminum foil products must be washed out in order for them to be recycled. In addition, caps on aseptic containers should be thrown out.
In a news release, Cieslewicz said the program is ""another chance for our citizens to convert more of their trash into a resource for industry.""
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