Southern Indiana Waste Systems, the city’s contracted waste hauler, announced today that 1,526,000 pounds of material collected in the City of New Albany was recycled in 2009. That is more than a five-percent increase from previous years.

“The citizens of New Albany have again demonstrated their concern for our environment through their continued recycling efforts,” said Robert Lee, president of Southern Indiana Waste Systems. The increase was obtained, in part, by a change in the collection process to a single-stream collection, where drivers do not separate materials at the curb, Lee added. Materials are now separated at the company’s processing center.

This change in collection was made available by switching to a processing plant located in New Albany.

“It’s our responsibility to preserve the environment for future generations,” Mayor Doug England said. “It’s our responsibility to preserve the environment for future generations. I am proud of what our citizens accomplished in 2009. If we continue to work together to press ahead, I’m sure we can exceed this progress in 2010.”