‘ ‘ ‘ City representatives say they want to make sure Pittsburgh has a bright, green future. ‘… ‘ ‘ ‘ City representatives say they want to make sure Pittsburgh has a bright, green future. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We’d like to thank you again for recycling. It’s important,’ said the pre-recorded answering service at the Pittsburgh Bureau of Environmental Services, part of the city’s Department of Public Works. They’re parting words before a caller is connected to some other extension. ‘ ‘ ‘ Pittsburgh lawmakers, through a new campaign called Together Green, are working to align the city’s recycling practices with sustainable construction and waste management programs. ‘ ‘ ‘ On Nov. 3, the recycling program, of which the city began running a pilot in 2007 in its central and eastern divisions, extended to every neighborhood, according to Shawn Wigle, Pittsburgh’s recycling supervisor. ‘ ‘ ‘ Instead of the familiar dual system recycling, in which homeowners separate items and place them on the curb, the city has changed over to single stream recycling. ‘ ‘ ‘ The single stream technique allows homeowners, whom the city notified of the change using flyers and an announcement on its Web site, to package their recyclables together. ‘ ‘ ‘ The materials get separated at the processing plant. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We work to make the process easier,’ said Wigle. ‘We add on materials residents want to recycle.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ The change, Wigle said, prompted more people to recycle. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘A lot of folks now participate, and there’s also a lot more material because there’s a lot less guesswork,’ he said. ‘Now, you don’t have to think, ‘Can I put this brochure in with newspaper?’ Everything can go to the curb instead of having to take it to one of our drop-off centers.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Recycling provides further benefits for Pittsburgh. An increase in recycling means an increase in funds the city coffers. ‘ ‘ ‘ Greenstar, the nation’s largest private recycling firm, won the bid for Pittsburgh’s recycling contract. Greenstar pays the city $40 for each ton of recyclables it processes for re-introduction to the manufacturing cycle. ‘ ‘ ‘ Wigle said the changes in the recycling system are just a small part of Pittsburgh’s plans to re-invent itself an energy-efficient city. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Pittsburgh is definitely turning into a green city,’ said Wigle. ‘We have the second largest concentration of LED-certified buildings nationwide. Recycling is just one component of the city going green. It’s the way we do everything. Now we’re looking at how we can cut costs and be sustainable.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ But for the city to fulfill its goals, Wigle said, every resident must help out, and that includes college students. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Some college students might say, ‘I rent. How does this affect us?’ But everyone is required to recycle,’ said Wigle. ‘Recycling benefits everyone.’