Rhode Island

Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation
65 Shun Pike, Johnston, RI 02919-4512

NERC Member Representative
Recycling Department
Sarah Kite, Recycling Manager
Tel: (401) 942-1430 ext 112; Fax: (401) 946-5174

Program Contacts

Press Releases

General Information

Business Assistance Guide ~ Rhode Island

Information on Free Energy Audits for Businesses

Compost Information:

• Town Municipal Programs
• Recycling in your Garden

Rhode Island Environmental Benefits Fact Sheet

Most Recent Recycling Data

ResourceXchange

State Surplus Property Program

Overview

In Rhode Island, most major waste management functions have historically been vested in two agencies: the R.I. Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) and the Department of Environmental Management (DEM). The Corporation's major responsibility is developing and operating facilities and programs for solid waste management, while DEM is mainly responsible for regulating solid and hazardous waste management facilities and recycling activities. However, both agencies have other responsibilities, including planning, public education, technical assistance, and funding.

RIRRC, a quasi-state agency, is charged with the development of "an integrated statewide system of solid waste management facilities" including recycling facilities. RIRRC owns and operates solid waste management facilities, and plans and implements commercial and municipal recycling and source reduction programs. Today, Rhode Island's municipal recycling programs are a collaboration between RIRRC and 37 of the state's 39 municipalities. RIRRC provides funding and technical assistance to the municipalities for their recycling programs.

Municipal Recycling Program - A History
When the R.I. municipalities first began their recycling programs in 1988, the materials collected were:

Glass containers, tinned steel cans, aluminum cans, foil, and pie plates, "#2" HDPE plastic milk/water jugs, "#1" PETE soda bottles, and newspapers (placed inside) brown paper grocery bags.

In 1995, Rhode Island increased the number of recyclables that could be collected cost-effectively. The expanded list includes all the materials listed above, as well as the following:

Mixed paper, magazines & catalogues, paperboard, corrugated cardboard, telephone directories, textiles, scrap metals, milk cartons & juice boxes, colored HDPE plastic bottles (such as "#2" detergent bottles), custom PETE (all other "#1" plastic containers), and empty aerosol & latex paint cans.

The materials in the original recycling program comprised approximately 19% of the residential waste stream, and the expanded program targets approximately 42%. The expanded recycling program was tested in Foster, Rhode Island, to determine if diversion could be increased without significant costs, and then rolled out in other communities beginning in 1995. Since that time, all participating municipalities made the transition into the expanded program, which was dubbed the "Maximum Recycling Program." Only textile collection has been halted as the markets no longer exist for this material.

The following is a list of assistance programs and incentive initiatives that RIRRC currently offers municipalities for participating in the State's recycling program:

• $0.00 tip fee for recyclables.
• Recyclables Profit Share – A minimum $300,000 divided among participating municipalities based on total recycling tonnage delivered to the MRF.
• Subsidized recycling bins distribution: blue 22-gallon bins (for MR) and green 16-gallon bins (for paper) at discount to qualifying municipalities.
• Statewide advertising and promotion of recycling program.

Other Recycling Initiatives

• Free Market RI and ResourceXchange are two free materials exchanges. ResourceXchange is a free service provided by the Resource Recovery to create a link between businesses that have a surplus of waste materials and businesses that may have a use for them. By providing businesses with the opportunity to give away or sell what they would normally throw away, Resource Xchange not only helps businesses to save disposal costs, but also helps them to reduce their environmental impact. Free Market RI provides the same services and benefits but to Rhode Island residents.
  
  
• Technical Assistance Waste Audits - RIRRC continues to offer waste audits to any commercial or institutional waste generators who are interested in implementing a recycling or source reduction program.
  
  
• Comprehensive education and outreach programs for schools (tours, teachers aids etc.) - RIRRC offers tours of the Central Landfill and the Materials Recycling Facility to any interested group at no charge. Approximately 6,000 students visited RIRRC's facilities this year on tours. In addition, RIRRC staff is available for presentations on source reduction, recycling, and composting to school classes and other organizations throughout the state.
  
  
• Composting -. RIRRC's subsidized home compost bin sales continue to be popular with state residents, as is the availability of staff for technical assistance. RIRRC has sold over 15,000 discounted home composting bins since 1993. RIRRC also partially funds the URI Master Composter/Master Recycler program through the University’s Cooperative Learning Extension.
  
  
• Recycling Hotline - RIRRC has increased the promotion of its recycling question hotline, which receives hundreds of calls each week from RI residents on all aspects of their recycling programs.
  
  
• Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program (Eco-Depot) - In March of 2001, responsibility for the management of the Eco Depot Household Hazardous Waste Facility was transferred to RIRRC from RIDEM. The days and hours of operation were increased significantly, providing more flexibility for RI residents wishing to properly dispose of their HHW. Since 2001, Eco-Depot has collected more than 3,176,600 pounds of HHW.

RIRRC is seeking ways to increase the diversion of recoverable materials from the commercial sector, particularly material generated in schools and multi-family complexes, where current recovery programs are limited.

In 2000, RIRRC began free collections of residential computer waste - the first state-wide permanent collection of e-waste in the United States. The program expanded in 2004 with the addition of cellular telephones, and televisions (for a small fee). It was expanded again in late 2004 to collect small numbers of e-waste from commercial sources, at a fee of .20/lb. To make the program accessible, collections are held at sites throughout the state. Since inception, RIRRC has collected approximately 1 million pounds of e-waste.

In 2005, RIRRC began the first state-wide collection of plastic film shopping bags, called ReStore. RIRRC located collection receptacles in each major supermarket chain and the IGAs. The plastic film bags are collected by the supermarkets, and either baled and marketed on their own, or delivered to the RI MRF for baling and sale. In January 2008, the collection efforts will expand to include all retail establishments conveying more than $8 million in goods in RI.

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Materials Targeted in R.I.'s Municipal Recycling Programs

Container Stream All PET containers All HDPE bottles and jugs* Paper milk cartons/juice boxes Glass food/beverage containers Steel cans Aluminum cans, foil, plates Small scrap metal <35 lbs. Empty aerosol and paint cans * No Automotive Fluid Containers Paper Stream Corrugated containers (OCC) Mixed residential papers Newspapers Paper shopping bags Magazines/catalogs Small corrugated containers Most paperboard