NCJ Number
168834
Journal
American Jails Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Dated: March/April 1996 Pages: 75-76-78
Date Published
1996
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Thanks to the Allegheny County Jail's (Pennsylvania) recycling program, some 50 tons of steel food cans will be recycled each year into new cans, automobiles, appliances, and other steel products rather than being put in a landfill.
Abstract
The recycling program at the original jail facility began in May 1991, when the city, which provided the jail with free waste collection service, required the jail to recycle at least three of the materials included in the city's residential recycling program. The facility's operators opted for paper, plastic containers, and steel cans. After a favorable trial period, the program expanded to include phone books as well as other grades of plastic containers. In 1995 a new jail facility was completed. In the new jail, the food service facility has a designated zone for recycling bins as well as storage space for larger recyclables. Additional space was also designed into the docking bay to accommodate two compactor/balers and storage room for both baled trash and recyclables. The jail plans to expand its program further to include newspaper and mixed office papers. The jail averages 300 to 700 pounds per trip, and the receipts go into the county's general fund. Receipts in 1991, 1992, and 1993 were based on $40 per ton. The bid for 1994 was $60 per ton. Besides saving landfill space and decreasing solid waste disposal costs, recycling conserves energy and natural resources and will assist the steel industry in reaching its recycling goal.