BERRYVILLE — Less demand for recyclable materials could prompt changes to Berryville's recycling program or cause the town to have to pay its recycling contractor more.
According to a report provided to Berryville Town Council on Tuesday, the worldwide market for recyclable materials is in flux with foreign economic markets — especially China — closing to materials from the United States. As a result, the values of those commodities have declined while costs to transport, sort and process the materials have risen.
Republic Services provides curbside recycling services in Berryville. Two of its executives, Nathan Geldner and Jerry Wilson, discussed with the council problems that the company is having getting rid of some recyclable materials that it collects. They said the company is in a similar situation to Winchester's recycling vendor, Southern Scrap.
According to a recent report in The Winchester Star, the city has lost its ability to recycle glass and most types of plastic. Residents and businesses still can put those items in their curbside recycling containers. However, the vendor must sort through the materials collected, separate those items and take them to a landfill, where it must pay a disposal fee.
The Republic executives told the council that their firm is having to pay a "tipping fee" of $97.52 per ton to deposit unwanted glass and plastics in a landfill whereas a year ago, when those materials still were in demand, it was paying zero because it was not taking anything to a dump site.
They indicated they want Berryville to help pay at least some of the disposal cost. That would required changes to town's contract with Republic.
Upon hearing the presentation, some council members indicated they wonder whether it is worth it to continue the recycling program.
"We don't want you to discontinue recycling," Geldner said, because it helps the environment. The less material that is deposited in landfills, the longer the landfills last.
But "we can't be (financially) solvent," Wilson said of Republic, by continuing to solely take on the burden of paying to deposit unmarketable recyclable materials in a landfill.
"We didn't budget for this," he told the council. "We know you didn't, either."
In addition to recycling, Republic provides Berryville regular garbage and bulk solid waste collection services. The town pays the company about $20,000 per month under its current contract. The money comes from the town's general fund, which includes revenues from real estate and personal property (vehicle) tax collections. Utility bills are for water/sewer services only, according to Town Manager Keith Dalton.
The council made no commitment to paying Republic more.
"We will take it under advisement and get back to you," Mayor Patricia Dickinson told the executives.
Later, the council went into closed session to discuss with its legal counsel Berryville's contract with Republic. State law enables the council to do that.
Afterward, Dickinson said the council will further discuss the issue at its next regular meeting in February. Matters to be discussed include whether to amend the contract and whether Republic should stop collecting glass items discarded in Berryville.
Plastic bottles, such as those used for beverages, are the main problem that recyclable materials handlers currently face because the plastic now is made so thin that optic devices used in sorting materials cannot detect them, according to Geldner.
Yet glass items make up about 75 percent of items put in recycling containers, Geldner said. Glass also is the heaviest material, he said, adding to the weight of materials taken to landfills.
Responding to a question from Councilwoman Donna Marie McDonald, he said it would be cheaper overall to dispose of glass if people would put it in their regular garbage.
"Glass is 100 percent recyclable, but there's not a market for it" right now, Geldner continued.
Ultimately, the best way to solve the glass problem is for people to quit buying products in glass containers, he said.
Councilwoman Kara Rodriguez said that if the contract with Republic is amended, it should contain a stipulation that if glass and plastics become more marketable as recyclable materials, any additional cost to the town would go away.
Courtesy : www.winchesterstar.com