Following protestations from residents, the City of Fulton is considering alternatives to ending its three recycling programs.

No vote was taken during Tuesday evening's City Council meeting, and discussion will continue during the work session before the city's Oct. 13 meeting.

Prior to Tuesday, Fulton assistant director of administration Robert Boone submitted a proposal suggesting the city could save around $200,000 by ending the residential recycling, household hazardous waste and yard waste collection programs. (The city is considering partnering with Bluebird Composting to allow residents to drop off yard waste for a small fee.)

Alternatively, he suggested ending the household hazardous waste program for a savings of $32,400. In the face of the ongoing pandemic, Fulton's trying to tighten its budgetary belt, he explained.

"We value recycling in this community, but it is basically a free program," he said Tuesday.

Boone said the residential recycling program costs the city $91,691 annually; household hazardous waste costs $32,400; and the yard waste roll-off containers at two Fulton fire stations cost $82,149. The city recoups $12,000 annually by charging $1 to customers who wish to rent a recycling cart.

However, after the Fulton Sun publicized those suggestions, multiple City Council members received phone calls from residents asking them not to end the programs.

"Citizens are very concerned about reductions (to those services)," said Jeff Stone, Ward 2 council member. "We need to be aware of that and not just make a dollar sign decision."

Stone also expressed personal reservations about ending the programs at Tuesday's meeting.

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As it turned out, Boone was also having second thoughts by Tuesday.

"I think it was last Friday, councilmen (John) Braun and (Ballard) Simmons came in to pick up their packets, and we had a small discussion about recycling," he recalled. "That discussion kinda changed my mind about some of the suggestions you have in front of you."

Boone proposed three new possible cost-saving measures:

Increase the monthly fee to rent a recycling cart to $9.

Cut back household hazardous waste collection days from two times a month to once a month or twice a year.

Relocate the roll-off yard waste containers to the city's warehouse and require proof of residency to drop off yard waste.

"Maybe that would control or pull back on costs," Boone said.

City Council members liked the third option — part of what makes the yard waste program so expensive is dumping by non-residents and commercial entities, Boone said. The city's warehouse is under closer supervision than the firehouses and the containers would be behind a lockable gate.

But council members weren't so sure about the first two.

Ward 4's Rick Shiverdecker noted it didn't seem wise or fair to make the few customers who rent a recycling cart support the entire program, while still picking up curbside recycling set out by non-renting customers. Stone said people will likely just stop renting carts and put out their recycling in paper or plastic bags instead.

"You'd have to stop picking up recycling except for what's in the bin," Shiverdecker said.

Stone expressed concern that if the city cuts back on household hazardous waste collection — currently taking place twice a month at the Tennyson Road fire station — people will just put hazardous waste into the trash instead.

Unlike the other two recycling programs, this program is open to county residents who lived outside Fulton city limits. City administrator Bill Johnson explained that when Fulton launched its household hazardous waste collection program in 2010, it was supported by a grant.

"We wanted to remove as many pounds of hazardous waste from the landfill as possible," he said.

But once that grant expired at the end of 2016, Fulton was left footing the bill — now at more than $1 per pound of hazardous waste materials such as paint, lead-acid batteries, small appliances and pesticides. Between June and August of this year alone, the city spent more than $20,000 on disposing dropped-off materials.

Stone suggested reaching out to Callaway County's commissioners and asking if they'll chip in to continue the program and keep it open to county residents, who make up more than half of the people using the program.

"It's still the right thing to do," he said. "Let's make it an opportunity for the county to pitch in a little bit."

Discussion will continue at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 13 at Fulton City Hall.