A Blawnox family is preparing to launch a new recycling program in the borough.
Recycling was eliminated in the garbage contract that council approved in September 2023.
Simon Passerrello-Carnevali, 16, and his mother, Christine Carnevali, have been working most of this year to provide that service and reduce waste shipped to landfills.
Simon is a Blawnox junior council member and Carnevali is a borough councilwoman.
They launched a survey last month to gauge resident interest. Carnevali said it was available online for about 10 days and they received 25 responses.
All of the respondents wanted to recycle glass, plastics and cardboard.
The family recently looked into acquiring an 8-by-6-foot shed to store the materials. Cost is about $200.
Borough Manager Kathy Ulanowicz said on April 9 that Blawnox will be able to cover the purchase through its refuse fund.
Simone said they hope to have the shed installed and ready for service by their Walnut Street home the first week in May.
“I’m just happy that it’s finally getting underway and we’re starting to see the process kind of happen,” Simon said. “I think 25 is a good number to start with from the survey, but I feel like once we get it underway we’ll probably gather more interest. It might have exceeded expectations a little bit because 25 might not seem like a lot, but it’s not that big of a community.”
The service is free. Participants will be given a code to access the shed.
“I thought it would be more difficult, but it’s actually been pretty easy,” Carnevali said of the process. “As we get the materials and we begin to haul, we’ll see how much of job it is. People want to recycle.”
Simon is working with fellow Shady Side Academy student Kabeer Chopra of Fox Chapel, who launched his own recycling nonprofit nearly two years ago.
Preliminary plans include donating materials two Sundays a month to Kabeer.
“We still have to finalize some things with logistics,” Simon said.
Kabeer, 17, founded GreenBridge412, a free recycling program geared toward keeping materials such as batteries, plastics and glass out of landfills.
He goes to clients’ houses on Sundays to collect the items.
Batteries are taken to Staples, glass is deposited in the recycling bin behind Fox Chapel’s borough building, and plastics are donated to Giant Eagle.
Kabeer on April 7 announced his nonprofit added Treat Down the Street and Gathering Boards, both in Aspinwall, as its first retail members.
His team overall has collected at least 987 pounds of plastic packaging, 3,370 glass bottles and 136 pounds of batteries so far this year.
Kabeer last month said he is excited about the Blawnox collaboration and confirmed via email on April 7 that he plans to discuss operations with Simon.
Meanwhile, Blawnox residents who wish to sign up for the free recycling service can do so via email at bnoxrecycles@gmail.com.
