Rhode Island Resource Recovery (RIRR) on Sept. 24 passed out checks to the state’s 39 cities and towns for profits realized from the sale of recyclables.

The municipal share of the profits for the year ending June 30 totaled $1,502,616.16.

Cranston received a check for $109,713.17, based on 7,684 tons of recyclables delivered in fiscal year 2014. Warwick received a $147,670.42 check based on 10,343 tons of recyclables.

Johnston received $24,977.52 based on 2,090 tons of recyclables, including additional funds from the out-of-state pool designated for storm water mitigation.

The state of Rhode Island delivered 254 tons and earned $3,038.18.

With the exception of Johnston, municipal shares are determined by the amount of recycled tonnage trucked to the Materials Recycling Facility in Johnston during the fiscal year as well as a share of profits from commercial and out-of-state recycling proceeds. Johnston’s profit sharing is determined by state law as well as its recycling performance.

“Together, we are improving recycling behavior in R.I.,” said Michael OConnell, RIRR’s executive director. “We are keeping recyclables out of the landfill and many municipalities are delivering an increased amount of recyclable materials to us. They have made changes in their collections that reduce their landfill disposal fees and improve their recycling performance.”

OConnell reported that in addition to the 97,844 tons of in-state recyclables, RIRR processed and sold an additional 32,952 tons of recyclables from commercial sources, both in state and out of state.

“The long-term investments made by municipalities in recycling education and Pay-As-You-Throw programs are proving to be fruitful,” said OConnell. “While we can’t ever predict how the markets will perform in any given year, we do know that improvements allow the municipalities to deliver more material, which increases their share of recycling profits. Additionally, it reduces how much they need to pay for landfill disposal, reducing the burden on municipal budgets.”

OConnell asked the city and town officials to use these funds to promote “cleaner” recycling. Companies that purchase the commodities are willing to pay more money for bales of recyclables that are completely free of non-recyclables. A number of municipalities watch their recycling trucks dump their loads in the landfill – and pay for the fees and fines – because of the high amount of food scraps, diapers, hypodermic needles, propane gas tanks and other garbage placed in recycling bins.

He congratulated five municipalities for their successes: Narragansett, Newport, Middletown, Central Falls, and Bristol.

Narragansett hired a recycling coordinator, who has been very effective in increasing recyclable tonnage by working with local haulers and educating residents about recycling rules.

Neighbors Newport and Middletown joined resources to host convenient bulky and hard-to-handle waste drop-offs.

Central Falls purchased new automated carts, which not only improved recycling tonnage; it also reduced rat and litter nuisances.

Bristol earned kudos for enlisting local activists to support staff efforts by serving on a town recycling committee.