This may be the last year of operation for Bellaire’s recycling center after the city council on Monday unanimously approved a recommendation to close it, considering the growing popularity of curbside recycling.
Use of the recycling center has declined as more people use Bellaire's curbside recycling program.
The Bellaire Recycling Committee recommended closing the Debbie Marshall Recycling Center on Edith Street because use of the facility has declined steadily as more residents use curbside services. The committee said it didn’t make sense to pay for gas for recycling trucks, and create emissions, while also keeping the center open. That encourages residents to create more pollution by driving themselves to the recycling facility, the committee said.
“All you have to do is get your bin out on the curb by 8 a.m. on Wednesday mornings,” said committee chair Brenda Cauthen. “With today’s times, and the wonderful curbside program we have, we believe it’s a better option for today.”
Councilman Phil Nauert said he was a close friend of Debbie Marshall, who worked extensively to bring recycling to Bellaire. He said he thinks Marshall would have understood it doesn’t matter if the methods change, as long as people still recycle.
“I think Debbie would be very supportive of this,” Nauert said. “I would champion trying to keep the name of Debbie Marshall in the public sphere.”
Councilman Jim Avioli said he supports recycling in Bellaire, and he wanted to be sure the center’s closure didn’t decrease the amount that residents recycle each year. He was also cautious about the financial implications of closing the facility.
“I’m not being adverse to the idea, I’m looking at economics here,” Avioli said. “I’d say at some point we need to look and see what the closure is costing us. If this thing comes to be economically cumbersome, we need to take a look at this and make a change.”
The city pays about $33,500 per year to operate the recycling center, but use of the facility 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, because vendors in today’s economy won’t pay for un-sorted recyclables, said Public Works Director Joe Keene.
Cauthen said the recycling committee made its recommendation based on environmental factors, and didn’t consider the financial implications of closing the center.
“The committee itself did not get into the dollar amounts,” she said.
Keene said he will now work on a plan to close the recycling center, and sit down with City Manager Bernie Satterwhite to work out the details. The committee recommended closing the center this year.
One possible discussion to watch for in the future: What to do with the site at Edith and Newcastle Streets. Council members Corbett Parker, Andrew Friedberg and Mandy Nathan said they think the land could be put to better use.
“I think it would be great for us to be able to consider what we can do that will be better for the community in that area,” Nathan said.
March 3rd, 2010 at 10:19 am
I will take Councilman Phil Nauert at his word and wait to see how he intends to “keep the name of Debbie Marshall in the public sphere.”
Also, I hope Council members Corbett Parker, Andrew Friedberg and Mandy Nathan don’t push for another park as a way to make better use of the area now used by the Recycling Center. We can’t afford to develop, manage, and maintain the parks we already have or are soon to be gifted with. I would suggest a better use might be to subdivide the property into lots and sell the lots off to those who will pay property taxes on them.