Three cities in Linn County will soon be without curbside recycling.
Starting Monday, people in Walker and Central City will have to choose alternative options to recycle. In Coggon, this goes into effect on August 1st, 2024.
The cities cite an increase in recycling costs.
“The council decided that the cost wasn’t worth the effort anymore,” Don Gray, mayor of Central City, said.
Mayor Gray said the city will no longer be offering curbside recycling starting July 1st. He said the city council made that decision after finding out the cost of recycling is increasing.
“[It] got to a point where it was gonna price people out of recycling on both ends of it,” Mayor Gray said.
He said Rudd Sanitation came to the city explaining the price increase and their options.
Brian Prucha with Rudd Sanitation said the response from the community has been swift.
“Nasty phone calls, blaming us,” Prucha said.
But he said the rising cost and the city’s decision to discontinue recycling is out of his hands.
“It makes no difference to us whether we pick it up or we don’t,” Prucha said. “But the city made a decision due to the cost. It was better for their citizens.”
He said the price of recycling is going from $90 a ton to $100 a ton in July.
But he said there are options for people who still want to recycle. That includes coming to the Solid Waste Agency near Marion.
Prucha said a lot of recycling ends up in the landfill because of contamination — something Joe Horaney with the Solid Waste Agency said they’re working to avoid.
“The big thing that we want folks to remember when it comes to recycling, especially your curbside materials, three words: empty, clean, and dry,” Horaney said. “That makes sure that you’re recycling the right way.”
Mayor Gray said he hopes the extra trip to recycle is worth it for residents — who he said are saving money with this change.
“I understand this upsets a lot of people but, you know, the prices keep going up and going up and that’s not something that people like either,” Mayor Gray said. “It kind of becomes it is what it is.”
Courtesy : kcrg.com
