Olmos Park Recycling Back on Course
Olmos Park reported in its most recent newsletter, “With our regular routines disrupted, our recycling got very contaminated during all of April and most of May.”
As we are slowly getting back to a routine, Olmos Park is setting a goal to achieve three months of contamination-free recycling. Acceptable recycling must be dry and free from food debris.
It can be hard to fit flattened cardboard boxes INSIDE the small Olmos Park bins AND get the lid on top to keep them dry. If you are able, please consider transitioning to either a 35 or 45-gallon upright blue rolling bin with an attached lid. Olmos Park currently does not charge a separate fee for our waste management services. If the city adopts a fee, then they may consider providing trash and recycling bins as part of the service.
Major Change
Public Works will no longer pick up recycling that is contaminated. It will remain at the curb and will be picked up on your regular trash day. Please do not get angry at the people picking up the trash. They are enforcing this policy to raise our awareness regarding what we are putting in our recycling. Just one resident with a contaminated bin forces them to take the whole truckload of recycling to the landfill.
Double Check Recycle Items
Do not be fooled by the recycling symbol. Manufacturers put it on theoretically recyclable items, but at this time, there is not a technology in place to delaminate the plastic film from the paper or to separate these composite materials from the recycling stream. Only recycle aluminum, metal, paper, cardboard, and plastics 1 and 2. We will have a significant impact if we can keep all these items out of our landfills until the recycling marketplace adjusts.
Recycle Items
These are the only items currently being recycled in Olmos Park:
- Flattened cardboard and paperboard
- Paper, newspaper, and magazines
- Plastics #1 and #2 only. Look for # inside the small triangle on the bottom. (there is currently not a market for #3-7)
- Metal and aluminum
- Paper-based cartons (typically milk, juice, broth)
Recycling Contaminants Have Included:
- Motor Oil
- Cat litter (some is compostable but not recyclable)
- Plants/leaves (compostable but not recyclable)
- Dirty peanut butter containers (recyclable if cleaned).
- Meat
- Computer parts
- Wires/Christmas lights
- Dog poop
- Rotten food
- Worms/roaches
- Sawdust (compostable but not recyclable)
- Dirty pizza cardboard
- Plastic plant flats
- Dirty diapers
- Foam, Styrofoam
- Glass (which is usually recyclable, but we aren’t currently paying to have it recycled)
- Flexible or film plastics (dry cleaner, plastic newspaper bag, inflated plastic air pillows from Amazon packaging, grocery bags, dog poop bags)
Alamo Heights Bond Issue on Nov. 3 Ballot
A special bond election on Nov. 3 is to consider issuing general obligation bonds in the amount of $13,250,000 for the Austin Highway/Lower Broadway Improvement Project to address street flooding and stormwater improvements.
The vote had initially been scheduled for May 2020 local elections, but that election was canceled.
This project is a collaborative effort between the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), and the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) and the City of Alamo Heights.
The total estimated project cost is $31,628,921. The project’s scope includes a new underground box culvert and upgraded curb inlets, replacement of sewer and water lines, surface improvements to include new pavement, wider sidewalks, bike lanes, traffic signals, and landscaping incorporating Low Impact Development (LID) features.
Thus far, Alamo Heights has financial commitments from the MPO for $10,000,000, TxDOT for $4,000,000 and SARA for $1,300,500. Additionally, TxDOT has also committed to paying for engineering, environmental studies, and project management fees.
Warning Siren Under Review in Alamo Heights
Alamo Heights Fire Chief Michael Gdovin told 78209 Magazine, “I was directed by the City Manager to gather information for City Council to decide if they want to pursue a warning siren system. I will follow the council’s decision based on citizen input regarding the purchase and installation of the siren system.
Currently, AH uses email-blasts, weather alert cell phone applications, local news, and internet sources to alert the community to pending disasters.
If approved by council, the siren would be located at 6116 Broadway. Gdovin says the vendor believes one siren will cover all of Alamo Heights.
The cost for the siren will depend on the location selected for installation.
Chief Gdovin explained, “There are several on-site installation requirements that the city would have to address. I am currently attempting to obtain an exact site location on the city property to obtain estimates for the required electrical, telephone, and radio requirements. Site selection is dependent on all the underground infrastructure (water lines, gas lines, electrical conduit, etc.) that is in place on the city property.”
By Ron Aaron Eisenberg
