Changes in market and improper recycling is causing rates to rise
By: Alex Tinline and Tyler Thompson
Residents in Akron are seeing a spike in service fees and disappearing recycling benefits as a way to save around $1 million per year in garbage and recycling.
The increase, which was passed by Akron City Council earlier this summer, has received very little backlash from the community.
Residents receive a recycling container free of charge but with a service free of $19.50 a month. To help encourage recycling in the city a $2.50 discount of residents water bills will be applied to those who choose to recycle.
Within the city of Akron 45,000 residents have chosen to recycle.
If a resident decides not to recycle the service fee will be $22 a month for garbage pick up, which was a $1 dollar increase from the previous price.
The increase explained by City of Akron Deputy Public Works Manager Robert Harris Jr. was integral for a greater need in the City of Akron.
“When we [The City of Akron] dump the trash into the landfill it is costing us so much money every year,” said Harris. “We dump $46 a ton of our trash at the Akron Transfer Station and then it goes to a landfill. It costs our division over $3 million a year just to dump our trash. The second reason would be to purchase trucks to do the job. The trucks aren’t cheap they run close to $300,000 a year.”
The other issue that the city of Akron has run into with recycling is China; the cities largest buyer for years of recyclable material has put stricter standards on what they will accept.
Each bale of recycled material that is sold to the country must contain less than 3 percent of contaminated material. This is because China no longer accepts recycled materials that have been contaminated with non-recyclable materials in fear that it will further pollute the countries air quality.
The city of Akron also uses recycle buyers in South Korea, Venezuela and even Seattle.
“The one thing we can’t get away from is recycling right away and educating our customers,” said Harris “Here in Akron like many communities we are having contamination issues with customers putting in non-recyclable into the container. So we are right now we’re educating the public.”
How the City of Akron hopes to do this is by redesigning their ‘what to recycle’ flyers to be posted around the community. They are also placing a list of dos and don’ts on the lid of the recycling container given free of charge to each resident.
Common contaminates in recycling include plastic bags, food waste, grease covered pizza boxes and even loose shredded paper.
“These are problems that are in every community but our main concern is the city of Akron and what we can do to educate the public and improve recycling,” said Harris.
Improper Recycling Is Causing Rates To Rise https://t.co/HXVZh0H3qF If you care about the environment learn about what the city of Akron is doing to help make a difference
— Alexandra Tinline (@alex_tinline) September 26, 2018
Summit ReWorks is putting an emphasis on educating the public on proper recycling. Contaminated goods are causing rates to rise. pic.twitter.com/8ngnnsajQS
— Tyler Thompson (@TylerThompson__) September 26, 2018
Print: Alex Tinline
Audio: Tyler Thompson