
DATE: Sunday, November 2, 1997              TAG: 9711030329

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY TOM HOLDEN, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:  106 lines

FOCUS SHIFTS AS BEACH FINISHES DELIVERING BINS FOR RECYCLING

Eureka Park, a compact community near the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks, joined the list last week.

Shadowlawn, a trendy enclave at the south end of the resort area, is next.

And by the end of this week, the job of delivering 114,000 blue recycling bins to the city's residents will be completed. When that day comes, the city can seal its promise of returning curbside service to the region's largest city.

The three-month rollout will be completed ahead of schedule and came with few surprises save one: the city learned that it had more customers to service than it once thought, about 14,000 more.

Two things caused this, said P. Wade Kyle, administrator of the city's department of public works, waste management division.

``The first is there are more addresses than the city's database originally recorded and, secondly, far fewer people rejected them,'' Kyle said.

The city expected that about 5,000 homes would choose not to participate in the program, but only about 500 did not want the bins, Kyle said.

``That is phenomenal,'' he said. ``We knew there would be a good reception, but even I did not dream how well it would be received. Past history showed that people in the city are willing to recycle if you provide good education, and an easy-to-use system.''

With the bins nearly in place, attention now will shift to Tidewater Fibre's new Chesapeake sorting facility and its ability to process an estimated 40,000 tons of recyclables that will be delivered there each year.

Michael P. Benedetto, vice president of Tidewater Fibre, said his company has about $8 million invested in the program, everything from a new fleet of trucks to the sorting facility, which awaits final city inspection.

Central to the company investment has been the sorting facility, at the company operations on Diamond Hill Road. The building will house equipment to separate plastics, paper and metal as they are prepared for resale to the recycling commodities markets.

``We are waiting for some minor details to be completed and expect to have a certificate of occupancy in the near future,'' Benedetto said. ``There is equipment in the building and we have tested some of it. . . . We're real excited about it.''

Some glitches have cropped up, Benedetto said. Some residents appear confused about what they can recycle and when they should put their bins out on the street.

``If residents can get their carts out by 7 a.m. that would improve efficiency a great deal,'' he said. Despite earlier city predictions that all plastics except grocery sacks would be recyclable, the actual program is somewhat less ambitious.

``Only plastic bottles should be recycled,'' Benedetto said.

``People think that anything that is plastic belongs in this program, but that's not true. We have gotten everything from a bowling ball to plastic Hot Wheels, and other toys, even water bed liners. We can't use those.''

Benedetto said residents should not try to recycle plastic butter tubs, yogurt containers, diapers and plastic grocery bags.

The city's recycling coordinator, Debra C. Devine, confidently predicted the program will be a success.

``I think this phase, at least, has been very much a success,'' Devine said.

``Now we're looking forward to having long-term data that will show the impact we will have on reducing the city's waste stream.''

While the city's initial capital outlay of $3.7 million has been relatively steep for a recycling program, the city expects to save about $2 million each year on trash it would otherwise have to pay to dispose of in the regional landfill.

``It has always been our goal to make this program cost as least as possible, and the more material we get the less it will cost,'' Devine said.

Of the roughly 114,000 containers delivered, about 94,000 of them have been the 90-gallon bins intended for large residences while another 20,000 of the 18-gallon variety have been sent to townhomes. The city originally expected to deliver about 85,000 large bins and 15,000 of the smaller ones.

Apartment complexes and any enclave not normally serviced by city refuse crews will not be eligible.

But those residents can take advantage of any of the 20 remaining drop-off centers that will stay in place.

``I think people have accustomed themselves to it rapidly,'' Devine said. ``This collection system really puts an emphasis on recycling and that statement is made by the size of the container.

``It sends a loud message that this city wants its people to recycle.'' ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

DROP-OFF CENTERS

Here is the revised list of the city's drop-off centers.

Mt. Trashmore Park, 300 Edwin Drive.

Salem Middle School, 2380 Lynnhaven Parkway.

Bayside Recycling Center, 1435 Air Rail Avenue.

Bayville Park, First Court Road, off Shore Drive.

CEL, Center for Effective Learning, 233 N. Witchduck Road.

Chesapeake Beach Fire Station, 2444 Pleasure House Road.

Cypress Point Shopping Center, Weslyan Drive and Diamond Springs

Road.

Green Run Fire Station, 1601 Lynnhaven Parkway.