PHOTO #1: An Environmental Services recycling truck picks up residential recycling left in green recycling carts.
The City of Victoria’s waste disposal programs help to keep reusable or hazardous materials out of our landfill—but the programs only work if residents know how to use them.
Keep Victoria Beautiful has received $15,000 in grants for an education campaign on waste diversion, or keeping things out of the landfill that don’t belong there. The funding comes from three sources:
- Texas Recycles Day Grant, from Keep Texas Beautiful in partnership with Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages - $9,000
- Community Ties Giving Program, from Union Pacific - $5,000
- Our Texas Our Future Grant, from Keep Texas Beautiful in partnership with H-E-B and Central Market - $1,000
Waste diversion makes financial sense
PHOTO #2: A new half-cell at the Victoria landfill, 18141 FM 1686, is covered with a thick plastic liner to prevent contaminants from leaking into the environment.
Waste diversion helps to keep recyclables and other non-landfill waste out of the City’s landfill. Landfill space is a finite resource, and communities that are short on space must seek costly alternatives and/or turn away profitable commercial clients.
Programs that reuse waste—such as recycling and composting programs—generate revenue for the City. However, when trash gets mixed in with recycling, the City receives a lower price for its recycling loads, potentially causing the City to lose money or break even.
Illegal dumping is another costly type of improper waste diversion. When residents dump their bulky trash in public areas instead of scheduling a pickup, the City has to clean it up at taxpayers’ expense.
How will the education campaign help?
PHOTO #3: Yard waste and tree limbs sit in a pile at the City’s compost facility after being collected from residents’ yards.
The education campaign will inform residents about the City’s waste disposal programs—recycling, yard waste pickup, brush/limb pickup, bulky item pickup and household hazardous waste disposal—through communications and outreach efforts, including targeted efforts in areas with high amounts of recycling contamination or other improper waste disposal.
As part of the campaign, the City will gather information about residents’ current waste disposal habits to determine what types of education are needed. For instance, residents who deliberately place trash in their green recycling carts will have different educational needs than residents who contaminate their recycling by accident.
Take the survey
To begin the campaign, the City is inviting residents to take a short survey measuring their awareness and current use of the City’s waste diversion programs.
To take the survey, visit www.victoriatx.gov/wastesurvey.
How else can residents help?
Residents can help keep waste out of the landfill by following these tips:
- Put your recyclables—and nothing else—in your recycling cart for collection. Environmental Services only accepts No. 1 and 2 plastics, metal cans, paper and cardboard that is free of food contaminants (no pizza boxes).
- Place your yard waste in paper bags, not plastic.
- Contact Waste Management at 1-800-449-7587 to dispose of household hazardous materials.
Stay connected
To learn more about the City of Victoria’s recycling program and other waste disposal services, visit www.victoriatx.gov/environmental-services.