EAST PROVIDENCE, RI—The City of East Providence is urging and warning residents to be more mindful of their recycling habits and their detrimental impact on both the environment and their own wallets.
In 2024, the City of East Providence had over 2 million pounds of rejected recyclable waste, all of which ended up being dumped in the landfill, costing East Providence taxpayers $91,264.92.
While most of this recyclable waste was properly managed, if just 10% of the load is contaminated it causes the entire load to be rejected, costing our taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.
Since 2021, East Providence taxpayers have paid over $200,000 in fines and violations for rejected loads caused by improper recycling.
“Our administration has tried to address improper recycling as an education issue. We have sent out information to our residents about proper recycling while also previously enforcing and issuing violations,” Mayor Bob DaSilva said. “These latest numbers are absolutely shocking, to see that we as taxpayers, pay $91K in extra fees and fines because there are people in our community not properly recycling.”
“The City of East Providence will be embarking in a much more rigorous enforcement effort to ensure people who are contaminating their recycling waste and costing all of the taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars are held accountable,” DaSilva added.
If a load is deemed contaminated, Rhode Island Resource Recovery assesses a $250 equipment use/handling charge to process the materials, which are then transported over to the landfill and billed at the tipping fee the city pays for disposing of trash. This is costing the city thousands of dollars each year.
To deter residents from improperly recycling, East Providence will be issuing violations to those who have plastic bags and other non-recyclable items found in their bins. Violations carry a potential fine of $50 per violation
Please recycle ONLY the following in your bin:
Paper, cardboard, and cartons
That's it—no other fiber products. For example, wood and textiles are made from natural fiber but they aren't paper, cardboard, or cartons, so they don't belong in your bin or cart. Paper and cardboard should be mostly clean and dry (a little grease on a pizza box is OK) and be flattened. Cartons must be emptied at a minimum and rinsed whenever possible. Place plastic tops back onto cartons prior to recycling.
No shredded paper, and no napkins, tissues or paper towels.
Metal cans, lids, and foil
That’s it—no other metal. For example, a metal frying pan is not a can, lid, or foil, so it doesn’t belong in your bin or cart. Containers must be empty at a minimum and rinsed whenever possible. Foil should be clean and bunched up.
Glass bottles and jars
That’s it—no other glass. For example, a drinking glass is not a bottle or jar, so it doesn’t belong in your bin or cart. Containers must be empty at a minimum and rinsed whenever possible. Remove metal tops from glass bottles and jars first, and recycle them separately.
Plastic containers
That’s it—no other plastic. For example, a plastic coat hanger is not a container, so it doesn’t belong in your bin or cart. Containers must be empty at a minimum and rinsed whenever possible. Place plastic tops back onto containers prior to recycling.
No foam containers, or plastic containers that once held flammable materials or oily chemicals like gasoline, motor oil, antifreeze, pesticides or herbicides.
No plastic bags, bags of bags, or recycling inside of bags!
Please refer to the City of East Providence’s website for questions about improper recycling:
https://eastprovidenceri.gov/departments/recycling/improper-recycling-wi...
