News from Buffalo

In November 2020, the City of Buffalo celebrated America Recycles Day with a collection of fun, safe and environmentally friendly events.  America Recycles Day is held annually on Nov. 15th and Buffalo kicked off the occasion by hosting a Yard Waste Drop Off Day on November 7th and sponsored a free Community Shredding Event and Clothing Recycling Drive on November 21st. A virtual Dare to Repair Event featured how to fix a broken window and a month-long social media campaign focused on making it a plastic-free November.

City Director of Refuse and Recycling Susan Attridge stated, “America Recycles Day is a time for us to remind residents about the many programs Mayor Brown and the City of Buffalo have out in place to recycle and reduce waste.  Recycling is a simple way that all people can help create a cleaner and more sustainable environment.”  

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In December 2020, Mayor Byron W. Brown announced a new upcycling public awareness initiative, designed to teach residents via social media how to creatively upcycle with the City of Buffalo’s 34andMore. “The Holiday season is a great time for residents to think about reusing or upcycling items around their house that would otherwise be thrown out,” stated Mayor Brown. “As we continue to promote a more beautiful and environmentally friendly community, upcycling gives us another creative way to reduce our footprint and protect our environment.”

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At the start of 2021, Mayor Byron W. Brown announced that the City of Buffalo in 2020 achieved its highest curbside recycling numbers in program history. From January 1st through December 31st of last year, 17,769 tons of material were collected, recycled and processed into new products. That is an increase of 35% in 8 years. 

The City of Buffalo also expanded their food waste recycling program, Scrap It!. After receiving positive feedback from residents and organizations during the last year, the program has expanded it’s one permanent location to two. Since January 2020, more than 3,000 people have participated in the expanded City of Buffalo Scrap It! Program and over 47,201 pounds of food scraps have been collected – an increase of 33,563 pounds in just a year!

Mayor Brown stated, “I am very proud of our community for this massive increase in recycling. My Administration remains committed to making Buffalo a more environmentally-friendly City for our children. Please continue to participate in our many green initiatives to help keep Buffalo on the right track.”