Indianapolis looks to its recycling future as environmental study committee concludes

The City of Indianapolis is planning to overhaul its recycling program, as current contracts are set to expire in 2025.

An Environmental Sustainability study committee has spent the past few months discussing issues related to recycling. The final meeting Monday featured presentations from two of the city’s current waste partners.

Aaron Johnson is a VP with Waste Management, and said through their study, the city was identified as ripe for recycling redevelopment.

“Indianapolis showed up in the top five best places to invest for recycling. There's a lack of infrastructure. Indianapolis is also the largest municipality in the United States that does not have a traditional curbside recycling program,” Johnson said.

Indianapolis only diverts about 15 percent of its solid waste, much less than peer metros, even in the Midwest.

Republic Services currently manages recycling programs in Indianapolis. Manager Craig Lutz said residents need to know the basics.

“Know what to throw, empty, clean and dry, and don’t bag it,” Lutz said.

City-County Councilor Dan Boots said resident education and awareness will be key parts of any plan.

“Like anything in life, you have to make it as simple as possible for people to learn and to do it,” Boots said.

The committee also studied different waste streams, infrastructure needs and fiscal feasibility.  The meeting highlighted the practice of circular economy.  There’s a market for Indiana companies to produce more products, including cardboard and plastic. 

Johnson gave an example of the circular work they are already doing in Indiana.

“The cardboard we collect here would be sold to Pratt Industries in Valparaiso, Indiana, where they make new Amazon boxes that probably also get shipped back to Indianapolis at a point in the future,” Johnson said.

The city has accepted requests for qualifications and will work with a consulting partner to plan the multi-year process, and will use the gathered information to decide on the best recycling policies.

Contact WFYI city government and policy reporter Jill Sheridan at jsheridan@wfyi.org. Follow on Twitter: @JillASheridan.