The mayor of Plano, Texas is happy to sing the praises of single-stream recycling after Allied Waste Industries Inc. spent $2 million upgrading its facility in her city.

“Their state-of-the-art recycling facility makes it easy for our residents and our commercial businesses to recycle without sorting,” said Mayor Pat Evans.

The facility in Plano first opened in the mid-1990s, introducing the Dallas-Fort Worth region to single-stream recycling – a process that allows recyclable materials to be mixed together into one container for separation at the facility.

Allied Waste completed its new, state-of-the-art, technology improvements in June, adding new innovations such as computer-controlled, infrared technology that recognizes and separates various types of plastics without human interaction.

“The programs that Allied Waste set in place have helped the City of Plano to move towards our goal of increasing sustainability,” Evans said. She said there have not been any drawbacks and that she would recommend single-stream to other cities.

“The improvements have helped Allied Waste streamline its operations,” said Jim Lattimore, district manager for the Dallas-Fort Worth area at Allied Waste.

While not willing to release volumes or sales figures, Lattimore said that municipalities under contract with Allied Waste have reported tremendous increases in participation when converted to single-stream.        ...read more