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Pleasant Grove's City Council is asking residents for their opinions about recycling options.
"We've had a lot of requests about this subject over the last year and a half. We've done quite a bit of homework" said Mayor Michael W. Daniels at Tuesday's City Council meeting.
"Tonight we're soliciting public input on this matter."
The four recycling options are mandatory, opt-out, opt-in and no recycling. With mandatory, all residents would be required to pay the fee, but the rates would be the lowest. With the opt-out program, residents would have to inform the city that they do not want to participate. With the opt-in program, residents must let the city know that they do want to participate.
Rough estimates of the cost to residents range from $6 to $9 per month in addition to their regular garbage collection bill. The cost is based on the number of participants -- the more participants, the lower the cost. There will not be a cost to residents for the recycling bins.
The program would accept all common recycle products except glass, electronic waste and green waste. Participants would not have to sort the recyclable materials into separate bins; all would be put into the same bin. Pick-up would occur every other week.
Council member Bruce Jensen received 96 e-mails from residents about recycling. Out of those, all but four stated they would like recycling in the city. About 50 percent of the ones who want recycling said that they would prefer the opt-out option.
"This should always be people's choice," said Jennifer Baptista, city resident to the Council. Baptista said that she believes the matter should be on the ballot and put to a vote. Baptista also said that she is afraid that people would no longer take their paper to the city's schools for recycling if it were picked up at their homes. "The schools receive money for the paper," she said.
Other residents who spoke at the meeting supported some type of recycling program but were against the mandatory recycling. According to Bruce Call, Council member, the mandatory program would be put on the ballot and the opt-in and opt-out programs would be made very easy for residents.
The next step, according to Daniels, is to do more research and then hold another public hearing. There will be updates on the city's Web site.
"Please spread the word to others," he said. The decision is expected to be made before the end of this year. |
