Rhode Island Cities and Towns Combat

Financial Strain from Improper Recycling

Partnership with RI Resource Recovery to save taxpayers

Providence, R.I. –  In response to the growing financial burden caused by improper recycling practices, cities and towns have partnered with Rhode Island Resource Recovery (Resource Recovery) to address this critical issue.  Improper recycling, which includes contamination of recyclable materials with non-recyclable items, has been costing communities across Rhode Island tens of thousands of dollars annually. 

“Rhode Island’s cities and towns are grappling with significant financial burdens, potentially costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars due to improper recycling practices,” said East Providence Mayor and President of the R.I. League of Cities and Towns Bob DaSilva. “However, through our partnership with Rhode Island Resource Recovery, we are tackling this issue by enhancing recycling sorting processes, implementing more appropriate fees, and fostering greater public awareness.” 

Beginning April 1, 2025, new measures will go into effect to improve costs and increase awareness about proper recycling practices. Resource Recovery approved a new fee structure of $20 per rejected ton with a maximum of $250 per load. Additionally, they have implemented a partial load rejection and addition of a waste inspector to identify contamination within a load and haul only the contaminated portion to the landfill. The prior rate for a contaminated, rejected load was a flat fee of $250.  

Resource Recovery also approved grants for municipalities that enhance and promote recycling and education. Grants include:  



1.   Town of Coventry: $1,080.00, to educate residents on composting and offer compost bins at a reduced price, with reimbursement of 80% of the compost bin price for verified composting presentation attendees only;  

2.   Town of Coventry: $1,305.54, to create a community-painted recycling focused mural on their Household Items Swap Center, reimbursement contingent on pre-approval of design;  

3.   City of Warwick: $16,609.37, to create an educational recycling tri-fold mailer to go out with all quarterly water bills and to canvas the City’s most problematic area’s recycling carts for 20 hours per week from March to October 2025, reimbursement contingent on pre-approved door hangers and trifold, use of Mixed Recycling Guidelines and list of canvased homes;  

4.   Town of Smithfield: $9,648.00, to create finished compost, funded as a one-time pilot project; and  

5.   City of East Providence: $7,960.00, to create an educational Recycle Right- focused postcard to mail out to all households, reimbursement contingent on pre-approval of design.  

“We applaud the Resource Recovery team and board of directors for moving quickly to reduce the financial burden for local governments and ensure that more materials are properly diverted from landfills,” said Randy Rossi, Executive Director of the League of Cities and Towns.  

Proper recycling is essential to ensure that materials can be effectively processed and repurposed. Placing non-recyclable items or dirty materials in the recycling bin can contaminate entire loads, making them unusable and increasing waste disposal costs. Contaminated recycling may be rejected, leading to more waste being sent to landfills instead of being recycled into new products.

To prevent this, local communities are encouraging residents to  follow recycling guidelines .  

Founded in 1968, the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns is a municipal membership organization that serves as the unified voice of local government in Rhode Island.