Lynn DPW aims to increase recycling

LYNN – After threatening to not pick up trash from city businesses unless they abide by a mandatory recycling ordinance, the Department of Public Works (DPW) said they have successfully won that battle and are now shifting gears to focus on residential recycling.Last month, DPW Associate Commissioner Manuel Alcantara sent a letter warning about 400 businesses to either get in line with the city’s ordinance or find another method of trash removal.Since then, Alcantara said businesses and municipal buildings have escalated to 100 percent compliance, however, only 22 percent of residents currently take the time to recycle.”We scared a few businesses so, so far so good,” he said. “I think either some places (14 percent previously not compliant) just went out of business like Montero Shipping (757 Western Ave.), and Euro Market (759 Western Ave.), or maybe some just didn’t realize it,” he said. “But so far, those businesses that weren’t in compliance before are now.”Alcantara said one of the worst neighborhoods for recycling is the Highlands, where the efforts to separate trash are especially lagging behind the rest of the city.So in an effort to raise awareness about recycling, Alcantara said a seminar would be held by the Highlands Coalition Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. at the Ford School on Hollingsworth Street.”We’re going to talk about the potential savings and how much the city spends on sanitation each year and why people should recycle,” he said. “We’ve also passed out flyers in several languages for it.”After DPW Recycling Coordinator Matt Proodian performed an inventory of every home in the city to see who is and who isn’t recycling, Alcantara said he was able to pinpoint what areas of the city have to be pushed to get on board.Over the course of his travels, Proodian doled out close to $4,000 in fines while checking out various neighborhoods over the past few months.”After we take a look at the information, we’re going to send the exact same note we sent to businesses to homes in a few weeks to get full compliance, but we don’t have an exact date yet,” he said.Aside from single family and multi-unit residences, Alcantara said condominium complexes are especially troubling.A few years ago, Alcantara said the city ran into a snag with a Leighton Terrace condominium complex that ignored pleas by the city to keep residents from parking in front of the Dumpster, overflowing trash and various other issues.After discontinuing rubbish removal for the complex, Alcantara said residents have since asked the city to reinstate pickups, but he said it probably wouldn’t happen.”There are a lot of absentee landlords in the city and 70 percent of the residents in condominiums rent and of they just don’t care about recycling,” he said. “So, we’re reaching out to the City Council for outreach with residential recycling.”