City Recycling More Than Expected

Cambridge's three-month-old recycling effort is doing better than its creators expected, according to city officials.

Cambridge officials orignially hoped the city would recycle 10 percent of all solid waste collected. Currently, 11 percent of the city's waste is recycled, said recycling coordinator Jane C. Aceti.

Since July, the city has been collecting newspapers, glass, metal cans, aluminum and some types of plastics to be recycled.

According to published reports, the Cambridge recycling initiative is faring much better than its counterpart in Boston, which is off to a slow start because few Hub residents are aware it exists.

Aceti attributed Cambridge's environmental success in part to the recycling program's convenience.

The city spent about $30,000 on a broad publicity campaign which included newspaper ads, radio announcements, cable television spots, street banners and even bumper stickers. A new phase of the program began yesterday as city contractors began collecting leaves for the first time to be composted in Framingham.