Loading...
3. Recycling OptionsValley Recycling and Evergreen Disposal are under new ownership. with this change in ownership, the process of hauling the city recyclers needs to change. For the last 15 years, Evergreen Disposal and Valley Recycling have not only purchased containers for use by Kalispell City residents, but they have provided the hauling and service as well. The expense for collecting the recyclers from Albertson's, The Salvation Army, and Tidyman's, and delivering them to Valley Recycling, has become cost prohibitive. Evergreen Disposal can no longer continue donating the cost of collecting recycling for the City. In 2005, Evergreen Disposal hauled the city recycling containers 606 times. In 2006, Evergreen Disposal made a total of 569 hauls of the recycling containers. This reduction in total hauls was because extra cardboard containers were added to the sites and customers did a better job of loading the bins. In 2005, 700,000 pounds of material were collected in the city recycler bins. In 2006, over 1,000,000 pounds of material were collected in the city recycler bins. As the Flathead Valley grows and more people move into the Valley from places like Seattle and Oregon where curbside recycling is mandatory, the demand for recycling will continue to increase. Larger bins need to be purchased and placed so recycling opportunities are easily accessible by Kalispell residents, and so the number of total hauls is decreased to make the hauling process more cost efficient. Presently, there are two recycling containers at Albertson's, two at Valley Recycling, and one at Evergreen Square in Evergreen. Valley Recycling would like to see one of the new, larger, recycling containers placed at R.osauer's, one in the vicinity of Smith's, one in the vicinity of the Hospital/Summit area or Lowe's/Costco area, and one container at Albertson's. This dispersion of recycling containers would provide good recycling opportunities for the majority of city residents. Valley Recycling, in connection with Evergreen Disposal, has a proposal for the city of Kalispell that would provide an economically feasible option and increased opportunity for recycling as the community of Kalispell continues to grove. The City of Kalispell would purchase four new recycling containers for placement in the above locations. Evergreen Disposal would haul the recycling containers at a reduced rate for the City of Kalispell. Since the recycling containers will be larger, the cost of hauling will be less per recycling container. It is our hope that Evergreen Disposal, Valley Recycling, and the City of Kalispell can continue working together toward reducing the volume of materials sent to the Flathead County Landfill.