RecyclingMonster - Coaldale Borough has decided to end recycling because of increasing costs, as well as advice from their trash hauler.

“Not everything is getting recycled that people are putting out anyway. So much gets tainted because the rules for recycling are not being followed,” council President Angela Krapf said.

On Tuesday, council approved a four-year contract with Tamaqua Transfer for trash collection.

The contract will cost the borough $989,184 over four years.

The vote was 6-1 with Yvonne Stoffey voting against and Anne Girard absent.

The new contract goes into effect July 1. June will be the last month for recycling.

Residents’ garbage bills are expected to increase. The next billing cycle begins July 1, but Krapf said that the borough will delay the fee increase to give residents more time to prepare.

In total, the contract costs the borough about $4,000 more per month more than the current deal, Krapf said.

Tamaqua Transfer was the only bidder for the contract. It gave options for three-year and four-year contracts, with and without recycling.

To continue recycling would have cost the borough an additional $50,000 per year.

That cost would have been reflected in residents’ garbage bills.

Tamaqua Transfer President Larry Wittig told council that even if recycling is collected, it doesn’t guarantee that it will be accepted at a recycling center.

Wittig said recyclers will reject a trailer loaded with 6 to 7 tons of recycling because of a single pizza box.

“They will reject the load out of hand for the simplest thing, a contamination they call it,” he said.

Wittig said the market for recyclables has dried up in recent years. He said it’s possible that the economics around recycling may change, and encouraged council to bid for recycling again in the future if that happens.

“If the price comes down, or if it’s a break-even, you can always say ‘we’re going to bid a recycling contract’ and do it all over again,” Wittig said.