MOLINE, Illinois — Forget driving all the way down to the river with your empty glass bottle clinking around in your trunk.
New recycle bins are coming to Moline, and according to the City of Moline’s website, residents can now recycle glass and aseptic packaging material with curbside service as a part of their single-stream system. Aseptic packaging is the kind of material found in juice boxes and milk cartons.
Rodd Schick, the municipal services general manager for Moline, said more online shopping means more people are throwing away recyclable material. He said this is an expansion of the current program.
However, this isn’t the only upgrade recyclers can expect.
The city of Moline is rolling out new, high-tech recycling bins starting Oct. 15. These bins will be able to hold 95 gallons, nearly twice the size of the current bins.
They also have Radio Frequency Identification technology. The bin manufacturer, Rehrig Pacific, “will be establishing an accurate database in the field using RFID technology,” according to the website posting.
An article by Waste 360, a waste marketing business, RFID technology is being used as a way to track containers and verify service.
“There are misses occasionally,” Schick said. “This will hopefully be more proactive… we can monitor on the go and see if that… particular avenue did get missed.”
Although Schick said there probably won’t be someone monitoring the routes at all times, workers can keep a watchful eye on drivers if the driver is new or a substitute.
“It’s a lot better when the wife catches you at the store… when she calls you while you’re there and says ‘you need to get more milk too,'” Schick said.
Moline’s website says Rehrig Pacific workers will begin deploying the new bins on Oct. 15 and will take three weeks to complete. Some bins may be picked up before new bins are delivered, causing a lapse in a few days without a bin for recycling. This is because it will take time for Rehrig Pacific to establish its database.
Residents may also request additional bins or an exchange for a smaller bin by calling the Municipal Services general phone number (309)524-2400 or by filling out a form on their website.
