In Warren County, the accelerating price of recycling led to the suspension of their program.
"The decision to temporarily stop the recycling program in Warren County was a really difficult decision to make, and it was basically the result of a combination of increased costs and a finite amount of funding," said Jeff Eggleston, Warren County Commissioner.
Shutting down the program will give the DEP and commissioners, who partnered with municipalities and townships, time to figure out a better way to effectively run recycling in the county.
"Essentially, we'll be working with the DEP and some other folks to put together a more comprehensive plan to come up with a sustainable model."
The goal is to work toward the spring and find a plan to initiate around the end of summer.
"There are few options and those options cost quite a bit. So, trying to come up with the best low-cost option is going to take time," Eggleston said.
There's a desire to help recycle products in the community. While waiting for a long-term solution, those in the area can drop off their recyclables to waste management transfer site in Pitsfield and Mortensen's recycling in Conewango Township.
"It's definitely a serious kind of situation that we want to address because we get so many calls from people who really want to see their stuff reutilized so we're really going to do everything we can to try and make that happen," Eggleston said.
