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Covington wants to boost 58 percent recycling rate; online presentation of ‘how-to’ tips to use year-round


The number of Covington households that recycle at home has increased 58 percent since 2016.

Hoping to increase both that number and the knowledge of how to recycle correctly,

“We believe we can bring more residents into the habit of recycling because we make it so easy and free to do so,” said Sheila Fields, Covington’s Solid Waste and Recycling coordinator. “But we want to make sure they recycle correctly.”

A little education goes a long way, since not every municipality accepts the same material.

The City has posted a presentation on its Facebook page featuring its recycling staff and Education Specialist Anne Gray of Rumpke Waste & Recycling, the City’s service provider. It highlights both the history and future of recycling, give interesting facts on landfills, and talk in detail about what can and cannot be recycled in Covington.

“It’s important to be informed about which materials are acceptable for recycling,” Gray said. “Reducing contamination from unacceptable material improves the effectiveness of our efforts to be good stewards of the planet.”

Throwing the wrong materials in your recycling cart not only “contaminates” the material but also can lead to damaged equipment and even fires at recycling facilities.

You can also take the online Recycling Pledge. Right now, the City’s COVDATA site shows that 8,241 of the City’s 13,972 residences with Rumpke waste-collection service accounts also recycle.

To participate in Covington’s recycling program, just call Rumpke at (800) 828-8171 to request a wheeled recycling cart, which you set out on the same day you set out your garbage cart.

Small steps

Here are some basic lifestyle changes you can make today that will make positive impacts for the future. 

• Use and buy less plastic.
 
• Know what is acceptable and what is not acceptable in your City’s curbside recycling program. See here.

• Bring reusable drinking mugs to refill at coffee shops, and use refillable water bottles instead of disposable ones. 

• Use reusable bags when shopping.
 
• When dining out, order your beverage without a straw and – for carryout orders — request no utensils, plates, and napkins.

• Take your own to-go container made of glass or metal when dining out.
 
• Recycle plastic bags and film at local grocery stores through the Bag 2 Bag program.

• Don’t put out your electronic waste curb-side, but save it for the City and Keep Covington Beautiful’s annual collection event.

• Take scrap metal to a specialized metal recycling center.

• Use rechargeable batteries.

• Purchase products that contain recycled material.

• Donate or take used clothing to second-hand shops or agencies that repurpose them and give them away. 
  
• Consult this resource guide to find out how to properly dispose of or recycle a number of problematic trash materials.

City of Covington


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