The Rest of the Story-What the Enquirer did not tell You About Recycling

Reading yesterday's Enquirer would lead many people to believe that in the midst of a severe crisis that threatens to put people out of work, the majority of council would add $3.5 million in new spending for recycling carts.The article gives the impression that this new $3.5 million would actually come out of this year's or next year's budget. Read on if you are interested in

The Rest of the Story...

In May 2008, council asked the administration to review the recycling program and recommend how we could increase the rate of recycling, share to a greater extent in any revenue from sale of recyclables, and increase the amount of money the city saved by avoiding landfill tipping fees. The original motion was extensive, and also directed that workers received a living wage for sorting recyclables.

The Office of Environmental Quality has worked diligently and developed a plan that achieves the objectives of council. In addition, the plan, if it were approved and implemented this year, would actually save $20,000 in 2009 and $240,000 in 2010. It would increase the amount recycled by 300% and create 20 new jobs at sorting facilities and 36 new jobs at recycling manufacturing facilities. It also would decrease greenhouse gas emissions.

The city currently spends $2.3 million for its recycling program.

So...where did the $3.5 million figure come from?

Well, to improve participation rates the administration recommended a program that includes a Recycle Bank and the use of 64 gallon wheeled carts. The program also moved the city into the modern age of RFID's (Radio frequency identification devices, known to most people as barcodes) to allow for tracking of participants so they could receive rewards for recycling.

The cost of purchasing and providing 64 gallon wheeled carts to all households in four family or smaller units and all single family homes is $3.5 million. The administration proposed to finance the purchase with a lease that covered the cost of the $3.5 million and would have required annual payments of approximately $462,000 a year (Option1). The savings projections previously referenced include the cost of the lease.

I invite you to read the Recycling Enhancement report and the lease proposal. Once you do, you'll know the rest of the story. Go to roxannequalls.com to download the reports.