Buffalo in the ’90s: Starting a citywide recycling program

By Steve Cichon
steve@buffalostories.com
@stevebuffalo

After a pilot program in the Delaware, Fillmore and Masten districts, Mayor James Griffin announced each of Buffalo’s 130,000 households would start receiving blue recycle bins 25 years ago this week.

Initially the city was collecting just cardboard and newspaper, with the hope of adding glass, metal and plastic soon. Businesses and apartment complexes were also left out of the first phase of Western New York’s first municipal recycling program, but added soon thereafter.