Is the value of Maysville’s recycling program worth the cost to the city?
That’s the question commissioners contemplated this week as they passed the city’s budget for the coming fiscal year.
The issue came up during the first of two meetings, this one a planning session, on Tuesday from Commissioner Jeff Brammer who asked about the city’s recycling efforts and its costs verses return.
“Are we losing money?” he asked. “It seems to me not a lot of people are participating.”
The program cost the city about $18,000-$20,000 annually, according to City Manager Matt Wallingford. With the price of recycled commodities down, the program does operate at a loss, officials said.
Returning Thursday with more information, Wallingford said participation rate in recycling is about 14 percent, a slight increase over former participation rates but well below the national average of 34 percent.
The city’s curbside recycling collection was restarted after being replaced for a few years by recycling trailers placed in different areas. The trailer recycling program was eventually discontinued after it became apparent that not only recyclables but also trash, even dead animals, was being dumped in the trailers. Wallingford said. It was then the trailer program was abandoned and the curbside program restarted by request, he said.
The program’s initial aim was to reduce the amount of trash being placed in the landfill, prolonging its life, officials said. That goal remains but recent events, primarily a drop in the price of recyclables, have made it difficult, according to city commissioners. With prices so low, items meant for recycling are sometime sent to the landfill as storage space is limited.
“We all know this is a problem all across the country,” Mayor Charles Cotterill said, citing Lexington’s recent move to end recycling paper.
There has also been some confusion on the pickup schedule since the city’s garbage collection was contracted out last year to Rumpke. Officials at Public Works said Rumpke has changed schedules but the city has not. Residents whose garbage was scheduled for collection by the city on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday will have recycling collected on Wednesday, those whose garbage was collected on Thursday or Friday will remain on the same schedule as before.
Resident Lori Brookbank spoke out in support of the program Thursday.
“I feel its very vital to our community and for our young people,” she said. She suggested the city engage in a public awareness campaign to boost participation in the program.
The city manager asked for time to examine the issue and come back to commission with more options at its next meeting.
“It’s going to take a effort from citizens if they truly want to recycle,” Wallingford concluded
