Collegedale officials are looking at options that could make the city’s recycling program more efficient and user-friendly.
The current system, which was put in more than six years ago and requires any participants to separate and sort recyclables, is outdated, said Public Works Director Eric Sines. Switching to a single-stream compactor system at the city’s recycling center would both streamline the process and make it more appealing to residents, he said.
“When [recycling] was first implemented six or seven years ago, it picked up,” Sines said of participation from city residents. “Then it tapered off, and now it has definitely plateaued. Now it’s just not fiscally efficient to offer.”
Though Sines does not yet have a dollar amount for the proposed switch – he’s awaiting bids from contractors – he said increasing the number of participants in the recycling program by making it simpler could be cost-effective.
Currently, the city hauls more than 150 truck loads of waste to landfills each year, costing the city an estimated $75,000 annually.