Ark Valley News - Council rejects fee for recycling

Council rejects fee for recycling
Last Updated: August 23, 2018

Pay the extra fee. Share the cost with residents. Do nothing.

Those were the options before the Valley Center City Council Aug. 21 as the issue of the apparent rising cost of residential curbside recycling resurfaced.

The council chose to do nothing.

Instead, the council said the city will stick to its franchise contract with Waste Management, which is good through 2020 and doesn't call for a steep fee increase.

Waste Management asked the city to consider increasing monthly hauling rates by $1.63 per customer to help the company cover the cost of dumping recyclables at a transfer station. Before this summer, Waste Management wasn't charged a tipping fee for recycling. That changed, however, when the world's recycling market tanked with new restrictions from China, the largest international buyer of domestic recyclables.

Waste Management, which has a contract with the city to be the only trash and recycling hauler through 2020, said the additional fee would help offset the cost.

City council members said Waste Management should stick with the contract.

Council members also suggested that the city and Waste Management could do a better job educating customers about what gets recycled, an issue that led to "contaminated" recyclables and weaker demand.

Council member Lou Cicirello said he was surprised to learn that pizza boxes are not recyclable.

He added that many of his constituents want to continue the curbside recycling program.

"Everybody says they'd be willing to pay for it and I would, too, but we've got a contract," Cicirello said.

In other business Aug. 21, the council:

•Appointed Ron Colbert and Brendan McGettigan as the voting delegates at the League of Kansas Municipalities meeting and Scott Hildebrand and Kristi Carrithers as alternates.

•Gave final approval to the standard traffic and the uniform public offense code ordinances.

•Approved resolutions updating water connection and stormwater utility fees.

•Gave first-round approval to an ordinance that would force gas stations to require prepayment of fuel from customers.

•Directed city staff to contract with a firm to auction the former library building on West First.

•Discussed livestock regulations.

The land bank board approved the sale of two lots in Ridgefield.