The city of Chickamauga is recycling an old scenario – no recycling service.
The city once offered recycling to residents itself, later contracting the service out to RockTenn. But based on RockTenn’s new hauling fee of $100 per pickup, officials are once again planning to stop subsidizing the service.
“When the city did recycling it cost us money,” said Councilman James P. Staub. “Most cities have curbside pickup with trash collection. It would be hard to be cost effective with curbside recycling.”
That’s why, in 2011, the city allowed RockTenn to place recycling bins behind ShopRite and at the downtown area ball fields. Chickamauga City Councilman Randal Dalton said RockTenn promised that the city would make money from the recycling bins, which stay full, he added.
“We haven’t received anything [money] from them since August,” said City Manager Michael Haney, adding that in the past RockTenn wrote the city checks for $70 to $80 a month for the recycling it picked up, hauled and then sold. “They told us they would no longer pay us. They said they would now charge us $100, so it’s going to be $800 to $1,200 a month.”
The exact figure depends on how often RockTenn picks up the recycling, Haney explained.
“They picked up recycling 10 times in July and eight times in May. [That] would be $15,000 to $20,000 per year,” he said.
RockTenn General Manager Jeff Snyder, who personally lives in Chickamauga, said recycling is the right thing to do – but it’s not free.
“The price of recycling commodities has gone down. The commodity market and the cost of operating a truck forced our hand to charge for roll-off,” he said in a phone interview, noting that each round-trip is 50 to 60 miles, which adds up in fuel, in addition to what the company has to pay a driver. “If you go anywhere in town you are charged a fee for a service.”
The Council unanimously agreed to discontinue the service in November unless another alternative is found. The Council plans to discuss recycling alternatives at its meeting Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at Chickamauga Civic Center.
Haney said in the meantime he will look to see if another option is available.
“I don’t know how we can afford [recycling],” said Staub. “There may be grant money available.”