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Why are some parking lot recycling bins overflowing?

Maryanne Zeleznik
/
WVXU

The company that owned those popular green and yellow paper recycling containers often found in church and school parking lots, sold off its business early last month. Now locations with the recycling bins are finding they have a problem: the bins are full but no one is emptying them.

Abitibi sold its Paper Retriever fundraising program to a corporation that has, in turn, sold the containers, and just the containers, to Rumpke.

"We ended up purchasing the containers - not the customers or the service - on October 1," says Rumpke spokeswoman Amanda Pratt.

Pratt says she's unsure of the status of Abitibi's fundraising program at the time the business was sold.

Credit Maryanne Zeleznik / WVXU
/
WVXU

"What we're trying to offer is a convenient recycling program that allows (organizations) to recycle more than just paper," says Pratt. "There is a small cost to our program."

However, if a location doesn't want to pay for recycling, Pratt says Rumpke will remove the bins and their contents. She says the company has a list of container locations but it's possible some spots may have been overlooked. She says you should contact Rumpke if that appears to be the case.

Senior Editor and reporter at WVXU with more than 20 years experience in public radio; formerly news and public affairs producer with WMUB. Would really like to meet your dog.