More than nine months after Mayor Mitch Landrieu signed a deal to restart glass recycling in the French Quarter and Central Business District, those recognizable blue bins are about to hit the curbs again.
The administration announced that the more than 4,000 homes and small businesses in those downtown neighborhoods can begin to recycle glass bottles weekly on Sept. 24.
The service is part of the $3.9 million final agreement the city reached with Metairie company Empire Janitorial Sales & Services in December.
Glass recycling in New Orleans ended after the flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Interested residents and businesses must sign up for a free bin through the Sanitation Department or by calling 311. Second bins can also be purchased, according to the city’s announcement.
Bars, hotels, restaurants, residences with more than four units and any business that creates more than 35 gallons of garbage per pick-up are excluded from the service.
The glass recycling will remain separate from recycling for metal, plastic and paper, which will continue to be collected in the French Quarter and CBD every Tuesday, the city announced.
Empire out-dueled three competitors last fall to win the garbage-collection contract. After the administration rejected every initial bid in November, Empire dropped its costs by $370,000, making its offer the cheapest.
The contract expires in 2021, but the city has the option to extend it annually for another three years.
Glass recycling remains a risky and expensive market due to the cost of processing and transporting such material. But Empire agreed to provide the service for $3.50 per each downtown household and business.
The Landrieu administration offered no word on whether glass recycling would return to residents and businesses in the rest of New Orleans. Garbage and recycling collection in Uptown, Algiers, Central City and parts of Mid-City is handled by Richard’s Disposal Services. Richard’s Disposal Services collects those items in Lakeview, Gentilly and eastern New Orleans.
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