City of Lewes to take over recycling pickup

The City of Lewes staff will begin collecting recycling for residents Monday, Oct. 16. 

City Manager Ann Marie Townshend does not anticipate any major changes to service, except that city trucks and staff will be collecting rather than employees of Republic, which has been Lewes’ recycling provider since 2013. 

“We did a cost analysis and determined it's cost neutral based on what we have to do to bring recycling in house,” Townshend said.

Townshend said there were challenges throughout the summer, leading officials to consider adding recycling service to the city’s responsibilities. The city staff already picks up trash, and two full-time employees will be added to the streets department to further accommodate recycling pickups. Townshend also anticipates hiring two seasonal employees to help next summer.

Townshend said residents should not be alarmed if they see their recycling being dumped into City of Lewes trash trucks, as staff will use the city’s third truck for recycling collection. 

Officials from Delaware Solid Waste Authority recently visited city hall to educate Lewes’ employees on recycling, specifically what will and will not be accepted at the sort facility. 

“I think there’s an opportunity to educate the public,” Townshend said. “One of the things we know from our conversations with DSWA is that the public isn’t really clear on what should be going in the single-stream recycling.” 

Any recycling in plastic bags or trash bags will be pulled off the belt at the sort facility. Only certain numbers on plastic are accepted – 1, 2, 4, 5, 6. Shredded paper and plastic bags are also items that cannot be put in with recyclable materials. 

To help residents learn more about recycling, the city will host a workshop at 5:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 16, at city hall. DSWA officials will offer a presentation and answer any questions. 

“I do think it’s a statewide issue and that any opportunity we have to reinforce what can and can’t be done in single stream is helpful,” Townshend said. 

To learn more about recycling in Delaware, go to www.dswa.com or www.recommunity.com/education.