Politics & Government

More Recycling Going On in Strongsville

Rates are up in the city and countywide

Strongsville is doing a better job of keeping trash out of landfills, according to a recycling report from the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District.

The city's recycling rate was 35.79 percent in 2012 -- up from 32.35 percent in 2011.

Countywide, the rate also increased from 29.91 percent to 32.74 percent.

"It seems like participation in our programs has increased, like household hazardous waste collection and Shred Day," said Jennifer Milbrandt, Strongsville's coordinator of natural resources. "Unfortunately,  Hurricane Sandy caused a lot of trees to come down so we had a ton of chipping to do."

Strongsville residents are asked to voluntarily recycle their glass, aluminum and plastic by placing them into a separate blue bag on trash day. Newspapers are also recycled.

In 2012, the city sent 16,310 tons of garbage to the landfill, but recycled 2,630 tons of paper, plastics and metal. 

Another 6,549 tons of organic waste was kept out of landfills through the city's leaf collection and brush chipping programs.

"I hope that this continues, and I believe it will, as the public becomes more aware," Milbrandt said.

Cuyahoga County communities recycled 227,473 tons of all residential waste produced last year - an average of 356 pounds per person, the waste district's annual report said.

Since 2001, residential recycling in Cuyahoga County has steadily grown from 18.47 percent to 32.74 percent, the district said.

“Recycling is up because it is more convenient than ever with 57 communities offering curbside recycling along with 'single stream' collection, which enables residents to commingle all their paper, cans, glass and metals into one recycling container or bag,” Diane Bickett, executive director of the district, said in a news release.

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After the materials leave the curb, they are taken to one of the four recycling facilities, called MRFs, to be sorted, cleaned and baled prior to being sent to recycled product manufacturers. 


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