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.