BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WPMI) — A solution could be in the works for Baldwin County cities facing the rising cost of a nation-wide recycling crisis.
A proposal for a new processing center could save taxpayer dollars currently headed out of state.
According to Baldwin County Solid Waste representatives, their proposal will be on the county commission's next agenda.
City officials said a new processing center would be a big help considering the recycling problems they still face.
The city of Daphne is still working address its recycling program's rising costs. The city has lost $500,000 a year by trucking recyclables to the nearest processing center in Florida.
However, a processing center located in Baldwin County could bring that cost down.
Daphne Mayor Dane Haygood said he's hopeful because he's been told the county's solid waste department is seeking a grant to make that a reality.
"It's encouraging to hear that. I certainly hope that the powers that be will make it happen, and somehow or another, we can come up with that solution," said Daphne resident Fred Garza.
In the meantime, Daphne city officials are still weighing options to save their program, which include raising rates, limiting what the city accepts, or cutting back pickup to every other week.
China, once the largest taker of recyclables, stopped paying processing centers in 2018.
"You're limited on who will take the recycling products. There are cities all over the country that are just getting out, not doing recycling anymore because they can't afford it. We don't want to be that community," Daphne City Council President Robin LeJeune said.
Baldwin County Solid Waste representatives aren't releasing many details on their proposal, but they said county commissioners will soon see it.
"Residents in Daphne have become accustomed to recycling so let's not lose that part of it and start filling the waste sites with what could be recycled," said Garza.
NBC 15 also reached out to Fairhope Public Works officials involved in recycling. They declined to comment further until the details are released, but they said they're very supportive of the effort.