Recycling drop-off sites may return to Jefferson Parish as officials explore opt-in service - NOLA.com
REALCYCLE recycling could be coming to Jefferson Parish | Jefferson Parish | nola.com
After several months without a recycling option, Jefferson Parish Council members will consider hiring a company to operate the two parish drop-off sites, Jefferson Parish Council members said.
REALCYCLE, a boutique recycling company based in New Orleans that recycles glass, cardboard, aluminum and compost, would operate the parish's drop-off sites in Metairie and Marrero on a limited schedule, Jefferson Parish Council member Jennifer Van Vrancken said on Tuesday.
They could be up and running within two weeks if council members approve the move at next Wednesday's meeting, she said.
“We’re super excited about this, it's something that wasn't even on the radar just a few weeks ago," Van Vrancken said. "It’s a good first step."
Recycling was effectively canceled in Jefferson Parish earlier this mont h when council members failed to approve a contract for Ramelli Waste LLC, as some members citing already rising utility bills, lack of participation and ineffectiveness of traditional recycling programs. With no one to operate them, drop-off sites were also closed. The move sparked an outcry among some Jefferson Parish residents.
Since then, council members have been in talks with companies to pursue short- and long-term recycling options. Scott Walker, who voted against the recycling contract, said he would support an initiative like REALCYCLE if it could be extended for longer than the initially proposed ten weeks.
"Ideally, government gets out of the picture and recycling is handled by the private sector," he said.
Parish officials can award contracts of less than $30,000 without having to solicit bids from companies.
New options
If REALCYCLE is approved, residents could drop off glass, corrugated cardboard, mixed paper and office paper, plastics 1 and 2, aluminum and steel cans at the parish's drop-off sites, located at 400 David Drive in Metairie and 6440 Lapalco Blvd. in Marrero, said REALCYCLE founder Ben Bagwill.
REALCYCLE also plans to operate a pop-up site in collaboration with the Old Metairie Civic Association at the Old Metairie Farmers Market, where compost is collected.
“We’re delighted about that,” Van Vrancken said. “But it’s short term."
Residents will have to separate their materials at all drop-off sites, and a REALCYCLE staff member will be onsite to assist, he said.
Bagwill said the company hopes to offer compost drop-off at later date.
Glass recycling would be new for Jefferson Parish residents, because it wasn't an option with curbside pickup.
Opt-in curbside recycling?
In the long-term, officials will solicit proposals for companies to offer opt-in curbside recycling, something that could take six months to come to fruition, Van Vrancken said.
Bagwill said since Jefferson Parish stopped their recycling program, recycling drop-offs at the Crescent City Farmers Market in City Park on Sundays have grown from about 300 to 500. Signups for the residential pickup program, which started in October, have increased to 150 homes, over half of which came from Jefferson Parish in the past few weeks.
Bagwill founded REALCYCLE in 2022 in part to restore faith in recycling in the New Orleans area, a mission he attempts through transparency in the recycling process. Glass is sent to Pearl Media in Picayune, Mississippi, where it is grinded down to a sand. Some aluminum is donated to NolaCans4Food, a nonprofit that sells aluminum to fill community fridges around New Orleans.
REALCYCLE brings compost to its own facility, where it is mixed with carbon-based materials, sifted and sold to local farmers and growers. They will bring cardboard and plastics and paper to CW Recycling plant, a facility that cleans, sorts and processes recyclables, he said.
"In nature, there isn't waste," Bagwill said. "What we do is a renaissance for recycling. You can actually have faith in where your materials are going, and you can see it coming back and benefiting the community."
According to the most recent report submitted to the Department of Environmental Quality, Jefferson Parish only diverted 1.27% of total waste, or 2,955 tons, from the landfill. The recycling program was also criticized for its low participation.
Parish officials said only 30% of eligible residents recycled, a figure provided based on field observations by the last hauler, according to Katherine Costanza, director of environmental affairs for Jefferson Parish.