City of Fort Wayne launches recycling education push

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – On Wednesday, Mayor Sharon Tucker and Solid Waste Manager Matt Gratz joined GFL Environmental to announce the “Keep the Recycling Machine Running Clean” campaign to make the City of Fort Wayne’s recycling program stronger.

The campaign will focus on education and awareness to increase participation and help reduce the amount of contaminated materials inadvertently put in the recycling bin.

The City issued the following:

GFL was awarded Fort Wayne’s garbage and recycling contract in May 2022 and as of October 2024 has also been contracted to transport recycling materials to their new state-of-the-art Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Pontiac, Michigan.

The GFL Pontiac MRF is a 125,000 square foot facility, equivalent to approximately two and quarter football fields, that previously served as the production plant for the Pontiac Fiero and has been retrofitted to become a state-of-the-art materials recovery facility. The plant, constructed in 2022, consists of a 32,000 square foot tipping floor and a 45,000 square foot bale storage area ensuring material is always kept under roof. The processing system is designed to process approximately 35 tons of recyclable material per hour and incorporates a trommel, a cardboard separation screen, 7 optical sorters, a ballistics separator, and magnets for metals separation. Recyclables are being separated more effectively there, keeping more materials out of landfills, which in turn will generate more revenue for the City of Fort Wayne and GFL. The City is receiving a 5% increase in revenue due to the new GFL contract, an expected total of $600,000 per year.

The following materials are accepted at the Pontiac MRF:

• Newspaper

• Corrugated Cardboard

• Office Paper

• Mixed Paper

• Boxboard

• Brown Paper Bags

• Aluminum

• Tin Cans

• Plastic Milk Jugs

• Detergent Bottles

• Magazines

• Aseptic Packaging

• Rigid Plastics

• Plastic (#1 – #7)

The “Keep the Recycling Machine Running Clean” campaign includes the launch of three videos which feature a “Wish Fairy” character who uses humor to educate the viewer about some recycling misconceptions—a concept she calls “wish recycling.” Just because you wish you could recycle something doesn’t mean it can be recycled. She reminds the enthusiastic recycler in the videos “when in doubt, throw it out,” and even has a “little ditty” she sings that will hopefully create an earworm for recyclers all over the city: “Cans, clean cardboard, food containers, bottles, paper, glass and plastic jugs.”

The videos can be viewed at the following link: www.KeepTheRecyclingMachineRunningClean.org

Surveys have shown that most people do want to recycle, but don’t have all the knowledge they need to feel comfortable about the process, or to ensure everything in their recycling bin is clean and dry enough not to contaminate their entire bin, or in some instances, contaminate an entire truck load. For instance, a plastic bottle with just an inch of water left in it, even if it’s capped, could crack open and contaminate a clean, dry piece of cardboard, no longer making the cardboard viable for recycling. That’s why the Solid Waste Department asks that residents don’t leave the cap on any containers, and clean out any food or liquid, then dry the containers. Clean cardboard is very valuable because recycled cardboard can be recycled many times without losing its strength.

Although it seems counterintuitive for residents to remember when in doubt, throw it in the garbage can when they’re being encouraged to recycle more, if there’s any doubt it’s not acceptable and could contaminate the rest of their recyclables, it’s the right thing to do because it will likely prevent many more materials from ending up in the landfill. Of course, if it’s an item like clothing or toys which aren’t recyclable, donating those items is an even better option.

GFL’s recycling contract included the appointment of an Education Coordinator who will host workshops, seminars and community events to raise awareness and encourage participation in recycling efforts in the City of Fort Wayne. The Education Coordinator will also be available to attend neighborhood partnership meetings and Solid Waste Advisory Board meetings.

“Recycling is an important priority that enhances the quality of life in Fort Wayne,” said Mayor Tucker. “We encourage residents to participate in our recycling program. We’re working each day to make a positive difference. I’m appreciative of the efforts of our partners at the Solid Waste Department and GFL as they continue their commitment to providing excellent customer service.”

“We are very excited to expand our partnership with the City of Fort Wayne to include processing recyclable materials that we collect up at the curb,” said GFL Area Recycling Director Brent Shows. “By working in partnership with the City, we can now maximize the recovery and reuse of all recyclable materials from residents through our state-of-the-art facility.”