Chicago to expand recycling next year

Mayor Rahm Emanuel says all of Chicago’s households will be included in the city’s recycling program by the end of next year.

Emanuel said Thursday that competitive bidding on the recycling program has saved the city $2.2 million. Emanuel’s office says that the cost-savings will support expanding the blue cart recycling program to the city’s remaining 340,000 households by the end of 2013. Right now more than 260,000 Chicago households are part of the recycling program.

Emanuel says Chicago will no longer be “a tale of two cities when it comes to recycling.”

Two private companies are part of the city’s recycling bidding: Sims Municipal Recycling and Waste Management. Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation workers also do recycling work.