Bethlehem and its residents are likely to face higher recycling fees, after the city’s curbside-collection contractor chose not to renew its deal beyond 2022.

Recycling practices may change, as well, since Bethlehem now offers separate collection of container and paper products for recycling. That can generate more revenue than so-called single-stream recycling because buyers are getting cleaner materials, but it presents challenges to the hauler, city officials said.

The city in October 2018 signed a $4.3 million, four-year contract for recycling and yard-waste collection with Republic Services Inc. Earlier this month, the company told Bethlehem it is declining to exercise the first of potentially five one-year extensions in the deal for 2023, so the city will have to seek bids for a new hauler. The five one-year extensions were projected to be worth another $6.5 million for the hauler, according to the contract.

Mayor J. William Reynolds’ administration told city council about the situation on Tuesday. Laura Collins, city director of community and economic development, said recycling haulers are facing challenges that include staffing, the supply chain and fuel costs.

“What we are seeing in other communities ... what’s playing out because of these trends are increases that are 50, 60 sometimes 70 even 100% increases, which is obviously a really big deal,” she said.

Asked for comment, Republic Services confirmed it is ending its Bethlehem contract, stating: “When first contracted, our company was awarded a four-year service agreement, and we have fulfilled that agreement. At this time, we have decided not to extend that contract.”

State mandate

Pennsylvania in 1988 began requiring recycling in municipalities like Bethlehem, with a population of at least 10,000 residents. At least 89% (over 11 million) of state residents have access to recycling through 1,114 municipal curbside collection programs and 775 county and municipal drop-off programs, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection said in 2021. Pennsylvania counties reported recycling over 27 million tons from 2015-18, the DEP said. That’s helped to reduce the volume of waste being landfilled, as well as cut carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 10 million metric tons per year, according to the department.

Amy Sturges, deputy executive director of the Pennsylvania Municipal League, said she’s not surprised Bethlehem is looking at higher costs for recycling. It’s a situation other municipalities will likely face, as well, if fuel costs don’t continue to drop and they aren’t able to hire and retain adequate staff. And that’s all going to mean residents pay more.

“These communities are not really able to absorb these types of mandated costs and I think naturally they get passed on,” Sturges told lehighvalleylive.com. “With having contracts with a recycling provider those prices are set, so we’ll see as renewals come up whether or not those contracts have to be negotiated at a higher amount.”

Bethlehem last raised the per-household charge for recycling in 2016, to $70 a year, Reynolds said.

“It seems unlikely that we’re going to be able to keep it at $70,” the mayor told council.

Dual-stream city

Complicating Bethlehem’s recycling future is that offers — and residents are used to — dual-stream recycling. That means separating recyclables into different bins — one for glass, plastic, aluminum, steel cans, etc. and the other for things like cardboard, office paper, magazines and newspapers. More common across the state is single-stream recycling, in which all recyclable material is dropped in the same container, said Collins, the city’s DCED director.

Republic Services currently brings the dual-stream recycling to the city’s yard-waste center at 1480 Schoenersville Road, where it’s then hauled to a recycling facility and sold as a commodity.

“Dual-stream is generally understood to result in a cleaner product to start at the point of curbside pickup, with less contamination, and we believe the profit we make upon disposition of the material is higher,” Collins told lehighvalleylive.com. “Single-stream is generally believed to be more convenient for consumers, which could increase the number of participants in the recycling program and more product.”

The city plans to solicit bids for both dual-stream and single-stream recycling, Collins said. She noted that dual-stream requires a different type of truck than single-stream, which poses additional costs for haulers.

“It’s so much of an additional cost for them that they’re willing to walk away from this pretty large contract,” she said of the expiring deal.

Courtesy: lehighvalleylive.com. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.