Dec 11, 2014 By David Singer 2 min read

Come spring, Upper St. Clair, Scott and Peters Townships will have expanded their current recycling program to allow for bigger pickups.

“The big improvements are bigger bins, wheels for mobility and an improved hinged-lid design that can withstand winds of 50 miles per hour,” said Waste Management spokeswoman Erika Deyarmin-Young.

By the end of April, each community will have custom-colored bins through Waste Management that hold 64 gallons of recyclables – up from the 18 or 32-gallon bins that residents currently use.

“Residents can request 96-gallon bins, but they’ll get the 64-gallon standard. Otherwise, it’s (like it has been since 2011) in terms of pickup: it’s single-stream, so you just put all your recyclables, plastic, glass, paper and yes, we’ll then be able to recycle cardboard. We’ve had to cut cardboard into 14-inch pieces before we agreed to the new program,” said Upper St. Clair sustainability manager Ron Sarrick.

Upper St. Clair and Scott will have bi-weekly pickup schedules, while Peters residents will see weekly pickup.

“And this program is automated, where our drivers extend a mechanical arm, it grabs the bin and empties it. This helps our own efficiency and increase recycling efforts in these communities,” Deyarmin-Young said. “We’ve seen recycling rates double and sometimes triple in communities that adopt a recycling program.”

For Upper St. Clair, it helps the community maintain its Allegheny County Live Well community status. The recycling program upgrade will be paid mostly by a Department of Environmental Protection Grant.

“The program costs about $280,000, as we’re still negotiating some minor specifics with Waste Management. But 90 percent of that cost is to be paid for through a DEP grant,” said assistant township manager Mark Mansfield.

Nearby South Fayette township was recently awarded a DEP grant of $8,640 for recycling in 2012. According to Waste Management, the township’s been using smaller bins to recycle since 2002.