Shaker Heights Increased Recycling In 2016

SHAKER HEIGHTS, OH — The city of Shaker Heights increased its recycling rate in 2016, maintaining its position as one of Cuyahoga County's leading communities for recycling, according to a new report from the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District. Shaker's 2016 recycling rate increased to 59.06 percent, up from 55.43 percent in 2015.

The recycling rate is the percentage of residential waste diverted from landfills through community reuse, recycling and composting programs. The recycling rate is calculated by dividing the tons recycled by totals tons of waste generated.

In Shaker Heights, there were 8,229.63 tons of landfill waste (aka waste that could not be recycled) generated in 2016. The city also had 1,783.45 tons of recycled waste (think cans, boxes, etc.) and 10,089.71 tons of recycled organics.

Compare those recycling numbers to 2015, when the city 1,423.18 tons of recycled waste, but only 9,015.33 tons of organic waste. The city produced 8,394.42 tons of landfill waste that year.

(To stay up to date on local stories, subscribe to the Patch Shaker Heights newsletter. As news breaks and the story develops, you will be the first to receive updates from Patch.)

Over a 15 year period, a lot of progress has been made with recycling and making Cuyahoga County greener. In 2001, the recycling rate was less than half of 2016's 36.13 percent.

“The numbers are encouraging. The numbers prove that Cuyahoga County is moving in the right direction for recycling, composting and waste reduction,” says Jessica Fenos, planner for the Solid Waste District, in a statement.

Of the 59 communities in Cuyahoga County, 44 improved their recycling rate from 2015. Plus, 46 communities beat Ohio's recycling goal of 25 percent, with 15 communities achieving a recycling rate of 50 percent or more, including organics.

One of the notable regressions in the county was Cleveland, which saw its already paltry recycling rate fall even lower in 2016. The city's recycling rate fell to 13.63 percent from 15 percent in 2015. The county's largest city also generates 180,470.86 tons of landfill waste each year.

The 2016 report is available for viewing here.

Photo from Pixabay