Recycling to be researched

Recycling in the Coulee got a breath of fresh air Monday at the Regional Board of Mayors meeting.

Every time the recycling idea seems dead, someone brings it back to life.

Dick Howe, of Sunrise Disposal, responded to criticism that his firm hadn’t done enough to bring recycling to the Coulee area. He agreed to look into the placement of recycling bins in the area, and what the cost might be.

However, in essence, the problem is how to make a cash cow out of a sow’s ear.

There’s no money in it, and as it has been explained to the mayors on several occasions, someone has to pay for it. So far, no one has stepped up to the line on how to finance recycling.

Gayle Swagerty, Coulee Dam council member, sitting in for Mayor Greg Wilder last month, resurrected the idea of getting some recycling going in the area. She had read from the mayors’ agreement with Sunrise Disposal that an effort would be made to start some kind of recycling.

That carried over to the meeting Monday and was brought up again by Wilder, who asked if one town could recycle even if the others didn’t want to, and Howe said yes.

Every time recycling has been brought up by the mayors, the problem of money has brought it down.

Howe explained that the price you get for recycled materials goes up and down, and it doesn’t cover the cost of handling the material. Transfer Station operator Randy Gumm has summed it up several times for the mayors by stating: “Recycling isn’t free, someone has to pay for it.”

Gumm explained that there’s no market for glass. Because of transport cost, most other typical recycling materials cost more than they return.

Howe is going to research the issue for the mayors and will report back next month.