(a) The city council adopts the goal of making regular recycling service available by July 1, 1993, to 100 percent of the households in low-density dwellings served by the City of Chicago. In designing the service, the city shall consider the following: costs; waste reduction potential; recycling capacity of affected residents; quality of materials collected; and ease of access to the service. The regular recycling service goal shall be achieved in stages, as follows:
(1) By July 1, 1992, no less than two-thirds of the households in low-density dwellings shall have regular recycling service.
(2) By July 1, 1993, all households in low- density dwellings shall have regular recycling service.
(b) In implementing regular recycling service, the department shall accord consideration for the collection, processing, marketing and disposition of recyclable materials to persons engaged in the business of recycling at the time of implementation, whether or not the persons are operating for profit. To further the purposes of this chapter, the department may utilize such persons to provide regular recycling service and, where appropriate, provide financial or other assistance to expand such activities to assist in the creation of new recycling facilities and operations.
(c) Post-collection separation may be used as an adjunct to regular recycling service to promote further volume reduction and material recovery, or in case of failure of the regular recycling service. However, prior to substituting post-collection separation for regular recycling service in a particular area, the city or its contractors must have implemented at least two source separation and collection methods within a period of no less than 12 months, conducted an extensive recycling promotional campaign in the area, consulted with operators of private for-profit and nonprofit collection services, and provided an opportunity for the public to comment on any proposed substitution at a joint meeting of the city council economic development and energy, environmental protection and public utilities committees. Where the substitution of service occurs, the definition of regular recycling service shall be expanded to include post-collection separation for the purposes of meeting the above goals.
(d) Where post-collection separation is used as a substitute for regular recycling service in a particular area, such separation facility shall recycle at least four categories of recyclable materials and utilize technology that has been demonstrated to be effective for the expected life of the facility.
(e) The city may modify the individual components or mix of regular recycling service for an area if there are unforeseen or severely adverse market conditions. Primary emphasis shall be placed on alley/curbside collection as the preferred means of providing recycling service to single-family residents.
(Prior code § 99.1-6; Added Coun. J. 2-28-90, p. 12605; Amend Coun. J. 12-11-91, p. 10978)