Suburban sprawl and recycling don't mix

Add another item to the list of reasons why suburban sprawl is bad for the environment: recycling rates. Other environmental problems with sprawl are well-documented, such as the fact that the transportation energy intensity of driving to buildings can dwarf the operating energy of those buildings. I'm sure this is nothing new to sprawl watchers, but the New York Times reports that Houston's dismal recycling rate -- it ranks the lowest out of the 30 largest U.S. cities, recycling 2.6% of its total waste -- is at least in part to blame on its sprawling layout:

The city's sprawling, no-zoning layout makes collection expensive, and there is little public support for the kind of effort it takes to sort glass, paper and plastics. And there appears to be even less for placing fees on excess trash. "We have an independent streak that rebels against mandates or anything that seems trendy or hyped up," said Mayor Bill White, who favors expanding the city's recycling efforts. "Houstonians are skeptical of anything that appears to be oversold or exaggerated. But Houstonians can change, and change fast." High fuel costs do not help either. "I'm not going to send my truck 50 miles to pick up one can," said Chris Hickman, a recycling manager at Waste Management, the nation's largest waste company, whose headquarters is here. ...Private businesses, like office towers, apartment complexes, and restaurants, are responsible for their own garbage, although advocates of recycling are pleading with the city to regulate them. Commercial recyclers say that despite a recent increase in public interest, their services remain a tough sell.

Countering high fuel costs are high commodity prices, leading recycling rates higher in places like Boulder, Colorado. Eric Lombardi runs director of Ecocycle, the nation's largest nonprofit recycler, in Boulder:

Mr. Lombardi's operation claims a 60 percent recycling rate, despite landfill fees of $15 a ton -- less than half of Houston's costs. With commodity prices at a record high, he said, if recycling can be profitable "in my landlocked state without easy access to buyers like China, then it can be profitable anywhere."

The full article from the Times is here. Photo: Michael Stravato for The New York Times