Landfill Switches to New Recycling Program Beginning Next Week

Beginning with the opening of a new facility at the next week, residents of Rhode Island will no longer have to separate bottles and cans from paper for recycling.

The Providence Journal reported this week that the company is sending out an informational mailer to let residents know of the switch.

A formal opening of the new Materials Recycling Facility, which will sort all recyclable materials in what is called a "single-stream" system, is scheduled for June 6 starting at 9 am at RIRRC.

The website ecoRI reported in March that to allow cities and towns extra time to prepare for the shift.

RIRRC officials are also planning to use a different term than "single-stream," to prevent people from thinking that they can throw trash in their recycling containers, ecoRI reported.

During the 2011 legislative session, state Sen. Frank Lombardo (D-Dist. 25) and Rep. Stephen Ucci (D-Dist. 42) at the Central Landfill. Both chambers of the General Assembly approved the plan, and Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed the bill into law last summer.

Lombardo said at the time that the additional revenue from accepting out-of-state recycling could net Johnston at least $500,000 per year.

The Landfill is still prohibited by state law from accepting trash from outside of Rhode Island.