San Antonio Launches New Pilot Recycling Program for Apartments 

The city of San Antonio has announced that it is expanding its residential recycling program to include apartment communities. The pilot recycling program for multifamily housing communities is slated to begin by the end of this summer and operate over a period of six months. Apartment owners may be required to provide start-up costs, such as a concrete pad for a compactor, but the city has pledged to pay for all operation costs. Apartment residents will have the opportunity to recycle all items that are currently being accepted in the residential recycling program. There will be a limited number of communities selected based on such factors as their logistical feasibility. At the end of the pilot program, apartment community owners will have the option to discontinue the program or continue at their own expense. This latest initiative augments the city's existing recycling efforts. Using vehicles with a mechanical arm that picks up city-issued 96-gallon containers, San Antonio recently began automated neighborhood waste collections. The same kind of truck also retrieves recycling items, quadrupling residents' recycling capacity with the new carts. According to the city, the mechanized collection system requires only a one-person crew who remains in the cab at all times.