The long-awaited curbside recycling program will soon be available in three of seven designated target areas, which were selected based upon response during the earlier pilot program. One of the target areas includes much of East Dallas and Lakewood.
Subscription forms were hung on doorknobs of homes in the target areas several weeks ago. Notices also were mailed with Dallas Water Utilities bills to help the City Recycling Office gauge recycling interest in other parts of the City.
Service is scheduled to begin this month, with information concerning pickup dates and recycling how-tos to be provided in several weeks.
Under the City’s program, homeowners contract directly with Commercial Metal Company (CMC). The curbside service will be provided twice monthly at a cost of $3.35 per month. Payment will be made directly to CMC twice each year.
The first payment of $25 includes a one-time charge of $5 for an 18-gallon bin. On your pickup date, place your bin – containing glass (clear, brown and green), newspaper, aluminum, tin cans and plastic bottles (1 and 2) – at your front curb.
Each target consists of 10,000 homes, with 2,000 subscribers needed in each area to begin service.
Area 2 includes the greater East Dallas and Lakewood neighborhoods and is bounded by White Rock Creek, Northwest Highway, Skillman, Central Expressway, Goodwin, Greenville, Vickery, Skillman, Llano, Clements, Vickery, Abrams, Junius, Brookside, the Santa Fe tracks, East Grand and White Rock Lake.
Other areas selected for the initial program include a section of Oak Cliff and the Preston Hollow area of North Dallas.
If you received a notice on your doorknob and haven’t returned it, subscriptions still are being accepted. If you have questions, call the Recycling Office at 670-4475.
Why should you subscribe? For starters, Citywide curbside pickup will cost $4.8 million, and the City’s budget woes are well-documented. Utilizing a subscription format allows the City to phase in the recycling program, beginning in areas that have demonstrated interest in recycling through the pilot program.
If you live outside the boundaries identified earlier in this column, but you would still like to be part of the recycling program, don’t despair.
First, complete and return the form inserted in your water bill. The Recycling Office will keep records of neighborhood interest to help determine future routes.
Next, contact your neighborhood association president. Or organize a recycling group. New routes can be established with a minimum of 350 homes. A representative from the Recycling Office can attend your neighborhood association meeting and provide information on becoming involved in the curbside program.
While you’re waiting, though, keep recycling. If some of your friends are participating in the City program, see if you can add some of your recyclables to their bin.
The City won’t mind some recycling overflow at curbside, Recycling Office representatives say. Too many extra bags awaiting pickup, however will result in a request for your friends to rent another bin.
