By Kristina Skorbach
May 10, 2010

 

Summer means outdoor activities, tourism, and ice cream, but with that come lots of plastic cups and wrappers. City council members pushed for a cleaner and greener New York this summer by proposing a bill to install more recycling bins at the tourist attraction destinations across the five boroughs.

“We want people to be able to recycle more things in more places,” said Council Member Jessica Lappin at Monday's press conference in Astoria Park.

Officials announced that the proposed legislation would allow people to recycle this summer like never before, with distinctively visible recycling bins available for visitors and locals to dump their plastic, aluminum, glass, and paper wastes.

The city has proposed several initiatives to push recycling efforts, including the establishment of a new recycling facility in Brooklyn slated for 2012.

A plan is also underway to mandate waste collection events for hazardous household items every year in each borough, with the goal of making the sites permanent in time. The city also wants to promote the pickup of unwanted household paint by voluntary manufacturers and retailers. Unwanted household paint makes up around 50 percent of all household hazardous waste.

The city will continue to fine for not following proper recycling procedures, but plans to make a new distinction between small property penalties and large commercial buildings. Also, for the first time, small property offenders will be able to receive training through recycling workshops.

In 2007, the Public Space Recycling Pilot Program found plastics and cans recycling problematic, as contamination of unrecyclable materials in the receptacles designated only for plastic or aluminum items was higher compared to the paper recycling bins. Certain areas, such as the Union Square and Columbus Park, fared relatively well, while the bins in Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island proved less efficient.