The state’s environmental agency wants to increase the overall recycling rate and has initiated a program to make state parks more sustainable. But as WNPR’s Nancy Cohen reports there aren’t a lot of visible recycling bins at one of the most popular state parks.
If you visit Hammonassett Beach State park it’s easier to find a trash can than a recycling bin. Diane Joy, Assistant Director of State Parks, says the state has a new contract with trash haulers to place special green dumpsters that take only recyclables in the parking lots, They'll be right next to the trash dumpsters.
“There’s not going to be separate, smaller bins that are 55 gallon drums. There are going to be dumpsters. One is marked for recycling and one marked for waste.”
The new contract provides for recycling dumpsters at 40 of the state’s parks and forests. But that leaves 99 parks and forests without recycling dumpsters. The state wants to encourage visitors to carry out anything they bring into the parks.