Committee Recommending Closure Of Recycling Center

The Bellaire Recycling Committee will recommend that the city close its recycling center because the amount of material collected there and corresponding revenues have declined steadily over the past five years as Bellaire residents have jumped on the curbside-recycling bandwagon.

The recommendation could upset people who still use the facility. But recycle committee members say it doesn’t make sense to send out weekly recycling trucks and still pay an average of $33,462 per year operating the Debbie Marshall Recycling Center. The facility at 4402 Edith St. first opened in 1989.

“I think if you eliminate the places for people to recycle such that you’re just focusing on curbside, that more people will be inclined to use curbside,” said Committee Chair Brenda Cauthen. “We’re paying through environmental costs of having that truck go by that person’s home in the city, and it’s so much more convenient for a resident to drag it out to the curb versus loading the car and spending their own gas and time to bring it to the recycle center.”

The committee voted unanimously in January to recommend the facility’s closure. This month members drafted their recommendation, preparing to send it to the Bellaire City Council.

Use of the recycling center has declined steadily over the past five years, according to city records. In 2005, the center accepted 989 tons of recyclables, and brought in $23,799. By 2009 those numbers had dropped to 347 tons and revenues of $7,453.

Meanwhile, the curbside recycling program in 2009 collected 1,578 tons of recyclables, up from just 476 tons in 2006 when the city started the program. However, the curbside program does not bring in any revenue for the city.

“Due to the economy, vendors are not paying for single-stream recyclables. The Recycling Center materials are sorted,” said Public Works Director Joe Keene in an email.

While the city would save $33,462 per year by closing the recycling center, the city would also lose the revenue that the center collects. Also, the curbside program could see increased use and increased cost. There would be an additional 35 truck loads annually, assuming the curbside program would collect an extra 347 tons — the amount taken to the recycling center in 2009.

“The 35 extra truckloads per year comes out to about 2/3 of a load per week,” Keene said. “I do not see a problem.”

Keene said he had “not done the calculations” to determine the expenses for collecting the extra recycling. Keene also couldn’t estimate how much it costs the city for one recycling truck to make its regular rounds on Wednesdays.

“I do not estimate. If directed by Council, I will determine the costs,” Keene said.

The committee and Public Works employees don’t really know what will happen if the recycling center closes. Will all its customers begin using the curbside program? The question lead Bill Stone, vice chair of the recycling committee, to suggest another idea.

“We’re guessing what would happen if we close the Debbie Marshall Recycling Center. What if we just didn’t go all the way in the deep end,” Stone said. “Say just for the next three months we’re going to stop taking stuff there and see what the impact is … See whether curbside is the same, or it picks up.”

Stone said that would allow city leadership to analyze the data and make a more informed decision about closing the center permanently. The committee may recommend a three-month closure as “Plan B” if the council rejects an immediate permanent closure.

Councilman Jim Avioli was opposed to the idea of closing the recycle center when it was mentioned in a city council meeting in December. He said he may consider Stone’s idea for a three-month test run, because it may allow the city to collect data that will answer important questions.

“I’d really have to have some more facts,” Avioli said. “Number one, can the city handle the amount that would be in excess if we closed it? And number two, would there be additional costs involved?”

Councilwoman Mandy Nathan, the liaison for the recycling committee, said she will give serious consideration to the closure recommendation because the committee believes it will not negatively impact recycling in Bellaire. She acknowledged that some people may feel concerned about the closure.

“Since we have curbside now, I think probably not as many people will be concerned with it closing,” Nathan said. “But I do think there is some sentimental feelings about it … At one point it served such an important purpose when there was not curbside recycling. So I think from that end, there may be some concern.”