Allen’s waste services provider is applauding residents for all the things they didn’t throw in the trash can last year. Here's a breakdown of some of the annual statistics Community Waste Disposal shared with Allen City Council on May 8:
Recycling saves you money. The City of Allen gets an annual credit for diverting waste from CWD's landfill. More recycling = bigger credit. In 2017, citywide efforts knocked $56,000 off the annual bill.
Every bottle counts. Residents filled their blue recycling carts with approximately 46 pounds of recyclables each month in 2017. That's 10,560 tons of cans, bottles, magazines, milk cartons, yogurt tubs, clamshell packages and more. (Check out Page 9 of the annual Trash and Recycling Guidelines for a full list of accepted items.)
Trash and recycling trucks are more than just waste-haulers. The vehicles run off of compressed natural gas, which is quieter and cleaner to help with local air quality goals. Each truck features four axels instead of three to distribute weight more evenly and reduce wear and tear on roads.
Trucks and drivers are dedicated specifically to serving Allen. Five trash trucks and three recycling trucks service Allen neighborhoods five days per week. Unless someone is sick or on vacation, you'll see a familiar face behind the wheel. Keeping employees on a route they know well reduces missed collections and driver incidents.
Schools and businesses make a big difference. Allen ISD recycled 619 tons in 2017. Commercial businesses diverted 2,612 tons of cardboard alone.
Live in an apartment? You can recycle, too. Allen was the first CWD customer to make single-stream recycling services mandatory for apartment complexes. Last year, renters recycled more than 463 tons.
Yard waste gets a second life. Branches, leaves, grass clippings and cardboard collected by CWD are turned into compost, mulch, topsoil and more at the NTMWD Texas Pure Products Wood Grinding Facility at Custer Transfer Station. Bagged mixes are sold at Custer Transfer Station; Allen residents get a discount on bulk orders.