R.I. Resource Recovery distributes $1.5M to cities and towns

JOHNSTON – Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp. recently distributed $1.5 million in checks to Rhode Island’s 39 cities and towns for profits from the sale of their recyclables in fiscal 2014.
“Together, we are improving recycling behavior in R.I.,” Michael OConnell, RIRR’s executive director, said in a statement. “We are keeping recyclables out of the landfill, and many municipalities are delivering an increased amount of recyclable materials to us. They have made changes in their collections that reduce their landfill disposal fees and improve their recycling performance.”
OConnell said that in addition to the 97,844 tons of R.I. recyclables, RIRR processed and sold an additional 12,075 tons of recyclables from Massachusetts.
OConnell asked the city and town officials to use these funds to promote “cleaner” recycling. Companies that purchase the commodities are willing to pay more money for bales of recyclables that are completely free of non-recyclables. A number of municipalities watch their recycling trucks dump their loads in the landfill – and pay for the fees and fines – because of the high amount of food scraps, diapers, hypodermic needles, propane gas tanks and other garbage placed in recycling bins.
Pawtucket, in a press release, said increased recycling paid off for the city, as its profit share was among the highest at $95,000. City officials said one year after implementing a new trash and recycling program, recycling rates are at all-time highs with residents converting 35 percent more tons of trash to recycling this year than last year at the same time.

With the exception of Johnston, municipal shares are determined by the amount of recycled tonnage trucked to the Materials Recycling Facility during the fiscal year as well as a share of profits from commercial and out-of-state recycling proceeds. Johnston’s profit-sharing is determined by state law as well as its recycling performance.
Profit shares to communities are as follows:

  • Barrington, $34,233.15
  • Bristol, $27,623.22
  • Burrillville, $26,662.75
  • Central Falls, $19,030.38
  • Charlestown, $5,673.45
  • Coventry, $52,919.72
  • Cranston, $109,713.17
  • Cumberland, $52,542.79
  • East Greenwich, $23,836.59
  • East Providence, $69,329.97
  • Exeter, $10,261.64
  • Foster, $7,352.24
  • Glocester, $17,583.61
  • Jamestown, $13,860.23
  • Johnston, $136,038.64
  • Lincoln, $28,910.94
  • Little Compton, $7,530.57
  • Middletown, $24,023.63
  • New Shoreham, $8,091.40
  • Newport, $33,826.23
  • North Kingstown, $47,849.80
  • North Providence, $38,889.02
  • North Smithfield, $19,436.87
  • Pawtucket, $95,148.48
  • Portsmouth, $30,597.01
  • Providence, $99,538.49
  • Richmond, $11,454.55
  • Scituate, $15,950.65
  • Smithfield, $30,714.23
  • South Kingstown, $42,035.76
  • Narragansett, $22,634.64
  • Tiverton, $28,965.77
  • Warren, $18,241.96
  • Warwick, $147,670.42
  • West Greenwich, $5,942.16
  • West Warwick, $33,287.82
  • Westerly-Hopkinton, $60,687.88
  • Woonsocket, $41,488.16.

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