The Recycling Partnership launches 'Feet on the Street' in Lafayette, Louisiana

Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG) and The Recycling Partnership, Falls Church, Virginia, are working together to reduce waste and improve curbside recycling in Lafayette, Louisiana. The “Feet on the Street” campaign will educate residents on the importance of recycling correctly and what should and should not be placed in recycling carts.

Now through Dec. 11, educational stickers will be placed on carts showing which items belong in carts and those that don’t.

When the wrong items are placed in recycling carts, many of these materials not only contaminate truckloads, meaning that they end up in the landfill instead of being recycled, but they also add to the cost of recycling as they must be sorted and hauled off for alternative disposal methods.

LCG Mayor-President Josh Guillory says, “Recycling properly not only maximizes the life of the landfill, but it also gives our citizens the ability to participate directly in driving a local recycling economy and managing our resources more wisely.”

Feet on the Street is made possible by a grant from The Recycling Partnership with funding, in part, from the Coca Cola Co.

The Recycling Partnership’s Director of Community Programs Chris Coady adds, “We are helping Lafayette capture more quality recyclables that are then transformed into new materials, building a more resilient recycling system that is critical to combatting climate change, creating jobs, and protecting our planet.”

Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United West Region Vice President Susanne Hall believes supporting proven, effective recycling programs is a win for everyone. “At Coca-Cola, our packaging has more than one life thanks to recycling. We are looking forward to seeing the benefits of the ‘Feet on the Street’ program in Lafayette.”

According to a news release from The Recycling Partnership, LCG is working to ensure curbside recycling will be the best that it can be, and with residents’ help, keeping the recycling stream clean can save taxpayers money, reduce the number of new resources expended in creating packaging products, and improve the health of our community.

Some tips are being shared with residents:

• Place only flattened cardboard, paper, metal cans and plastic bottles and jugs in bins.
• Items should be free of food residue.
• Rinse cans, plastic bottles and jugs and shake off excess water.
• Items should be dry before placing them inside a recycling cart.
• Only place loose items in a recycling cart.
• When in doubt, throw it out.