Recycling effort in a tailspin

The Regional Board of Mayors effort to begin a recycling program is in a tailspin.

Even its chairman, Electric City Mayor John Nordine III, said he wasn’t in favor of it.

The mayors had agreed to take the recycling issue to their respective councils, getting permission to purchase a $13,000 recycling bin.

The first town to address the issue was Elmer City. Its council didn’t even vote on it and said no thanks.

Electric City’s council was cool to the idea and was fearful that it would force garbage rates to increase.

Councilmember Richard McGuire said he would like to know how much material headed to the transfer station would be siphoned off by recycling and asked City Clerk Jackie Perman to provide that information. How she could estimate that wasn’t determined.

The Transfer Station charges $128 a ton to dump in its bin and then takes it to the Grant County landfill near Ephrata. He was afraid that recycling would force garbage rates up.

The mayors had earlier stated that they were willing to try recycling for a year and would start by purchasing a bin partitioned off in sections. That would cost $13,000, and it was proposed that each city or town would contribute its share of the cost based on its percentage of tipping fees.

Elmer City’s portion of that cost would be $780, which its council rejected.

Electric City’s Mayor Nordine stated a second time his opposition to recycling, explaining he didn’t have a vote in the matter, and that it was up to the council.

In addition to the cost of the bin, it was stated that it would cost at least $74 to empty the bin.

Sunrise Disposal, in an effort to cooperate, had specified the $74 fee for 1.5 hours.

Recycling will continue to be a topic, but there seems to be little real support for it.

As one councilman noted, someone has to pay for it.