Increased costs could halt Rock Hill’s curbside recycling. Keeping it will cost you.
Rock Hill residents are fighting to maintain curbside recycling services.
Rock Hill city council has discussed ending curbside recycling due to increased costs, said Jimmy Bagley, deputy city manager. Rock Hill residents have shown support for keeping the service even if it means an increased cost to them.
City council is considering increasing sanitation fees by 4%.
The increase would cost Rock Hill residents about 78 cents more a month to maintain curbside pickup, Bagley said. Keeping curbside recycling would cost residents more in the subsequent year as well, he said.
An alternative would be to end curbside recycling and instead provide drop sites for residents to take their items, Bagley said.
Bagley said the city’s current provider, Pratt Recycling, plans to increase the cost to process recycled products to $68 a ton, up from $34 a ton.
The city is looking at instead using the York County Material Recovery Facility, said Katie Quinn, spokesperson for the city. That change which would cost the City of Rock Hill about $35 a ton, Bagley said.
With changes to recycling markets, the city has seen a decline in recycling revenue. Bagley said it costs the city about $800,000 a year to run the program.
“It’s costing about as much to recycle as it is to put it in a landfill. That’s the problem,” he said.
Council members discussed potential changes to sanitation services, which includes recycling, during an April 16 workshop on the city’s 2020-21 budget.
Rock Hill residents have sent messages to council members in support of paying more to keep curbside recycling. Bagley said of the 24,000 Rock Hill residents who use city sanitation services, 8,300 recycle.
A few residents addressed council during public comments ahead of Monday’s meeting, including Larry Schindel.
Schindel has lived in Rock Hill for four years and said he has been an environmental advocate for 54 years. Schindel said he started a recycling program in Charles County, Md., before moving to Rock Hill.
“Mobile centers are going to defeat the purpose of making recycling easy for the masses,” Schindel said in a phone interview with The Herald. Curbside recycling “is a service that is provided as part of the life in Rock Hill and should be continued.”
City council is leaning toward increasing sanitation fees to keep curbside recycling, Bagley said.
“I really think status quo will win out on this one,” he said.
The city budget was not an agenda item Monday, but council members discussed sanitation changes during miscellaneous items at the end of the meeting.
Councilman Jim Reno, Ward 6, said he has heard from people of all age groups, including single residents and families who want council “to find a way forward to keep curbside service offered.”
Councilman Derrick Lindsay, Ward 1, said he does not want Rock Hill to lose recycling.
“I’ve been making an honest effort to recycle,” he said. “If we do away with that, it might set us back another 10, 15 years to get us back to this point.”
City of Rock Hill Mayor Pro-Tem Kathy Pender, of Ward 2, said she supports curbside recycling.
“It is a worthwhile service and reducing landfill waste is important,” Pender wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. “The recycling industry constantly changes what can be taken for recycling, and we need to better communicate those changes so our recycling program can be more effective.”
The Rock Hill Clean and Green Board, whose members are appointed by city council to promote recycling and beautification, submitted a letter of support for curbside recycling to the council. Schindel shared the letter with The Herald.
“The Rock Hill Clean and Green Board believes ending curbside recycling collection will reduce recycling collection by city residents and set the city’s sustainable efforts back at least 30 years,” states the letter. “Recycling in Rock Hill creates jobs throughout the states of North and South Carolina, supports manufacturers throughout the Southeast, reduces landfill waste and pollution, saves energy, and conserves natural resources.”
The letter continues: “By pursuing the 4% increase, the city can continue this valuable service that Rock Hill residents have come to rely on and appreciate.”
Rock Hill city council next meets on May 26. Residents wanting details on the proposed budget can attend or watch the meeting live.
For more information, contact your city council member.
Recycling options in York County
Rock Hill residents also can take recyclable items to York County collection centers.
The county runs 16 county collection and recycling centers that are moving back to normal operations following changes due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to a release from York County Public Works.
Collection centers are open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
As of Thursday, all materials will be accepted including appliances, paint, batteries and fluorescent bulbs, the release states. Residents can drop off up to one pick-up load per trip.
Visitors to the recycling centers are asked to keep six feet apart and minimize contact with surfaces, the release states. For more information, call 803-628-3181.
Items accepted:
- Mixed paper, cardboard, chipboard, magazines, office paper
- Steel cans, aluminum cans, pans and foil
- Plastic bottles, jars and jugs (leave lids on)
Items that must be placed in proper containers on site:
- Used motor oil
- Scrap metals
- Passenger vehicle size tires - up to four per visit
- Cooking oil, antifreeze and latex paint - up to 10 gallons
- Rechargeable batteries
- Electronics - including cellphones, TVs and computers
- Textiles such as clothes, hats, shoes and linens
Items not accepted:
- Items with food residue, coated paper or propane tanks
- Styrofoam or non-bottle plastics
- Plastic bags
Household hazardous materials
- Yard debris, oversize tires and large amounts of construction debris must be taken to York County Landfill
This story was originally published May 15, 2020 at 7:31 AM.
