Every Pittsburgh kid can tell you why some garbage trucks are blue. They're part of the city's recycling program. Citizens gather up their glass, plastics and newsprint into neat blue plastic bags and the blue trucks haul them to the recycling plant. Or do they?
Last week, Pittsburghers learned that the recyclables they've separated each week were being hauled to the same landfill as their rotten tomatoes and coffee grounds. Prins Recycling Corp. was caught red-handed by the Allegheny County Health Department, as it dumped mounds of Pittsburgh's blue bags into a Washington County landfill. This violates state and county law.
Mayor Tom Murphy, a strong recycling advocate, became so angry over Prin's deception that he terminated the city's contract with the company. This week, Pittsburgh signed an emergency contract with Waste Management of Southwestern PA, which will process all of the city's recyclables -- except newspapers.
The recycling debacle threatens to trash Pittsburgh's budget. Prin's contract had promised the city a net gain of $1 million per year. So far this year, Prins has not made one payment to the city, even though almost $250,000 is owed.
Now, under the new contract, the city must pay $20 per ton of recyclables, plus a $600-per-day charge for separating the blue-bagged materials. Over one year's time, the city could lose just over $1 million.
For a short time, the city's recycling center in the Strip District halted operations. Nothing, however, has kept the blue garbage trucks from their appointed rounds. They continue to collect bagged plastics, glass and cans -- but will no longer pick up newspapers.
Due to the downturn in the recycled newsprint market, Waste Management would not agree to process the city's old newspapers. Residents must now throw out yesterday's news with the rest of the garbage.
By the end of the year, Pittsburgh may scrap its blue-bag system altogether for one used throughout the suburbs. City residents may have to sort their own recyclables into separate containers. This will reduce Pittsburgh's processing costs -- and end the familiar sight of blue bags lining city streets on trash collection days.
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