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Fate of recycling in the balance
Last Updated: July 19, 2018

The City of Valley Center could drop curbside recycling service.

The council on July 17 learned that the city's franchise trash and recycling hauler, Waste Management, wants a monthly fee increase to cover the cost of recycling, even though its contract with the city through 2020 doesn't call for one.

Ammon Taylor with Waste Management said the recycling industry underwent a seismic shift when the world's largest purchaser, China, put clamps on the purity level of the recycling it would accept and banned certain products altogether at the beginning of the year, increasing processing costs and decreasing revenue.

For example, Taylor said, the price recyclers got for a ton of mixed paper last year was $75. It dropped to 53 cents this year.

With crashing prices, Waste Management was forced to pay tipping fees for recycling, like it does for regular trash. Before a $90-per-ton fee was put into place in mid-June, Waste Management paid nothing to dump its recycling at a Waste Connections transfer station, because Waste Connections made money from the recycling it received. Not anymore.

To recoup the costs, Waste Management is asking the city to add $1.63 to each residential customer's bill. Residents in Valley Center pay $15.25 per month for trash and recycling service.

The city has a contract with Waste Management through 2020, which includes small fee increases (about 40 cents) each year.

Assistant City Administrator Kristine Polian said she would develop options and present them to the city council at a meeting in August or September.

Polian said the recycling industry crisis likely will not end in 2020, when the city must either renew its contract with Waste Management or look for other haulers. She said the council may consider incremental increases to avoid future rate shock.

Another option the council skirted was discontinuing curbside recycling altogether.

“It's really sad that we could just switch back and throw everything away and it would be cheaper," council member Ben Anderson ventured, saying his family usually recycles more than they throw away.

Taylor said Waste Management is looking at cheaper alternatives to the transfer station it is using in Wichita, which could benefit Valley Center.

The recycling discussion started when Waste Connections removed its free recycling dumpster from the parking lot at the former Leeker's store. Waste Connections officials cited the same industry shift as a reason for discontinuing the service.

In other business July 17, the council:

•Approved street closures and a donation of $4,500 toward Valley Center Fall Festival, which is Sept. 21 and 22.

•Met in executive session for 15 minutes to discuss personnel. No action was taken.

•Learned that full closure of Fifth Street during construction may take place in a week or so. Notifications will go out once a final decision has been made. When closed, Fifth will stay that way through the remainder of the project in late October.

•Approved the installation of flashing beacon systems at pedestrian crosswalks at Fifth and Interurban and on Meridian between the intermediate school and the high school. Cost is up to $15,000 each. City Administrator Scott Hildebrand said the school district indicated it would pay for one of the systems. The council decided against placing one on Sheridan between Second and Third streets.

•Approved the mayor's appointment of Jamie Anderson to the Valley Center Recreation Commission Board.

•Learned that council member Ray Strunk resigned his Ward 1 seat because he moved out of the city. The council approved the mayor's appointment of Lou Cicirello to fill the unexpired term.

•Reviewed the dedication plaque that will be placed at the new Community Center & Library.

•Approved the parameters of a contest to design the outside of the city's water tower. The city is planning to make improvements to the tower and decided to open up a contest to the public to design the outside of it.

Council member Gina Gregory was not at the meeting.

The city land bank board, made up of council members, met briefly. The board approved a proposal from First Step Development to purchase three city-owned lots with the promise to purchase an additional seven over the next year in the Ridgefield subdivision. The company plans to build single-family homes.





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