Muncie, IN Shifts to Bagless Recycling Program

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): The Muncie Sanitary District (MSD) has introduced a curbside recycling initiative to reduce landfill waste and increase recycling efficiency across the community. The program, officially launched in the summer of 2023, transitions Muncie from the long-standing blue bag system to a bagless, single-stream recycling program.

With 96-gallon blue recycling toters, Jason Donati, superintendent of sanitation and recycling at the Muncie Sanitary District, said this new approach eliminates the need for recycling bags and simplifies the process for residents, helping ensure recyclables reach proper facilities without contamination.

The old program, which relied on community partners to distribute blue recycling bags, required residents to bag recyclables and place them in their trash toters for collection. These bags were removed at sorting facilities before the recyclables could be processed. Despite its contributions, the system had limitations. After over two decades of the blue bag program, MSD began re-evaluating its effectiveness.

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantagemag.com