CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio (WOIO) - Cleveland Heights is known as a green community for its friendliness on environmental issues, but a recent decision has some businesses seeing red; charging businesses for the pickup of recyclables.

“We’re very environmentally engaged in our community,” said Collette Clinkscale, director of Public Works for the city of Cleveland Heights. “It was not something we could provide for free.”

Businesses will pay for the pickup due to changes in the market for recyclables happening thousands of miles away.

“China no longer is able to take a lot of the items that we sent to them to recycle,” said Clinkscale. “And so our recycling cost went from the city receiving 50 cents per ton to the city playing $96 per ton.”

Cleveland Heights has about 2,500 tons of recyclables a year, which would cost the city about $250,000.

“It was a very tough decision. Believe me, It was very tough,” said Clinkscale. “Quite naturally, a lot of them (businesses) are not happy they can no longer recycle for free.”

Cleveland Heights will go to an automated system for trash collection, both for regular trash and recyclables and it will result in an increase for Cleveland Heights residents in their utility bills, raising bills from $11.50 a month to $16.17.

“We did not get out of the recycling business,” said Clinkscale. “We still provide that to our residential customers. It’s just that we no longer would provide it to our business community.”

Recycling trucks are a little lighter as a result with businesses opting out, getting their own service, or throwing recycling in with the regular trash.