Stapleton makes a strong effort to be green, and already has a proportionately higher recycling amount than any other neighborhood in the city. But, after the Holidays, that percentage becomes even higher. “There are several reasons for this,” said George Delaney, COO of the Department for Public Works. “First of all, Stapleton does a great job of promoting recycling and following through with it. Second of all, Stapleton has a large number of children and therefore, has a lot of presents do buy. Finally, Stapleton parents can afford to spoil these kids, which ultimately accounts for the thousands of pounds of empty toy boxes we pick up from Stapleton after the Holidays.”
Delaney says that the city deploys an extra truck on each of the Stapleton routes after the Holidays. “In the past, we simply were unable to get all of the bins emptied,” said Delaney. “Now, we just have to add an extra truck to make sure we get it all picked up.” The extra work adds a few extra dollars to Denver’s recycling cost. “We have to run extra trucks, so we have a lot of gas right there. On top of that, workers that are supposed to have the day off have to work, and they are paid time and a half. So, it probably runs the city an extra $360,000, but we understand to account for it now in our annual budgets, so it is not a big deal.”
Residents are encouraged to continue to recycle, even though it adds extra cost. “We much prefer residents responsibly dispose of their items than to not recycle,” said Delaney. “The one thing that may be a little helpful would be maybe not to spoil their kids so much. I mean, it is a lot of stuff. I have taken a ride along on the Stapleton route after the Holidays and you would think that Stapleton kids were all Saudi princes.”]]>