LaredoBuzz.Com

Courtesy Xochitl Mora,

The City of Laredo Solid Waste Department, at the urging of the Laredo City Council, is expanding the recycling blue bin pilot program in one section of District III, the area known as the Heights, within the boundaries of McPherson and Arkansas between Clark and Corpus Christi.  The specific location selected was chosen based on the amount of recycling the area sets out; Council Member Alex Perez, Jr., pushed for a neighborhood within his district to be selected for this program. The approximately 120 homes in the area will be invited to participate in this program on a voluntary basis. Each participating home would receive a 64 gallon blue recycle bin, known as a Billie Bote, Willie Bite’s, the environmentally-friendly trash-can mascot, cousin.

 ‘I am so proud to be able to bring the expanded recycle blue bin pilot program to my area,” said Cm. Perez.  “As we are encouraging our children to participate in the Borderplex Directory Recycling Contest, it is important that we adults realize that recycling is a way that will help us lesson our carbon footprint and protect our natural resources.”

 This program is an extension to the current citywide curbside blue bag recycling program. Each participating home within the selected area will receive a 64 gallon blue bin and a brochure with the guidelines. The brochure will indicate what items can be recycled and the purpose of the program.  For residents in the pilot program, they must make sure that they do not contaminate their recyclables with food waste or trash, as their recycling will not be collected and they may lose the recycling bin privileges if they contaminate their recyclables.

 The recycling bin pilot program was proposed by the City Council and its constituents.  By collecting recyclable material in the blue bins, the Laredo City Council hopes that the Solid Waste Department will recover more recycling materials, which will encourage more residents to recycle with the convenience of the roll-out cart.

 According to Cm. Perez, the Billie Bote blue bin program will go city-wide in 2013, as part of the $10 million upgrade to the City of Laredo’s recycling program, with everyone in Laredo receiving their blue bin by the end of next year.  “Recycling is going to be a way of life here in Laredo, as we lead our community in efforts to go green,” said Cm. Perez.   

 For the past 10 years that the City of Laredo has had a dedicated curbside recycling pick-up program, these are the amounts, in tons, that have been collected over the years:

• 2002:   3,853.71
• 2003:   2,988.98
• 2004:   3,094.88
• 2005:   3,043.00
• 2006:   3,193.00
• 2007:   4,063.00
• 2008:   4,079.18
• 2009:   3,921.53
• 2010:   3,676.70
• 2011:   3,714.60

 Billie Bote made his debut four years ago in District V subdivisions Hillside and Hidden Meadows and Billie later showed up in District I in Freedom Park and Independence Hill subdivisions two years later.