Blue Carts Lessening Recycling Blues

By Laura Oppenheimer in News on Apr 3, 2007 4:30PM

People living in Wards 5 and 8 should be feeling extra smug today, since as of April 1, they can recycle using Chicago's Blue Cart program. Say "sayonara" to frustrating blue bags and "hola" to your new friends, blue carts.

The blue carts are part of Chicago's new plan to get people to recycle, since almost everyone can agree that the blue bag program was less than effective. The blue cart program seems simple enough; next to your trash bin is a blue bin. Put your recyclables in the bin. And then pat yourself on the back for making Al Gore proud.

We think this program has two things going for it that could make it successful. One, you don't have to buy anything, like the blue bags, to participate. And two, you can have a reasonable expectation that your recycling isn't going to end up at the dump, since a separate blue cart truck will come to pick the recycling up. A full explanation of the details can be found here.

The program is run through the Department of Streets and Sanitation. Matt Smith, who is with the DSS told WBEZ, "What we want to do is not only find out if people will be a little more aggressive with their recycling, more enthusiastic, but also, we want to test out our operations because when you change to something to this magnitude it will affect the way other services are delivered." We are all about being aggressive recyclers, but alas, Chicagoist's ward isn't going to get the blue cart hook-up anytime soon. Wards 5, 19 and 8: Chicagoist is counting on you to aggressively and enthusiastically recycle, so the rest of us can get a chance to use the blue carts one day too.

Image via the Blue Cart Program.