Moses Lake recycling program pays off
Lakeside Recycling and Disposal manager Dave Patterson points to a bale of recycleables from Moses Lake. Lakeside has processed about 884 tons for the city since a curbside recycling program began a year ago.
MOSES LAKE - It's been one year since Moses Lake implemented a curbside recycling program and city officials say the numbers look promising.
From last August to the beginning of June, the city processed a total of 884 tons, according to a report issued by Moses Lake Finance Director Ronald Cone.
After expenditures, the program brought $25,893 in net revenues to the city, the report stated.
The city produces about 46 percent less residential garbage now than when the program began, or more than 2,800 tons of material previously destined for the landfill, Moses Lake City Manager Joe Gavinski told council members in a recent meeting.
"That's an amazing number," Councilman Richard Pearce responded. "Whenever I talk to people about the recycling program and yard waste it's hard to find a naysayer these days. People are really positive about it."
Since its inception an average of 5,538 accounts have been given a monthly refund ranging from $.37 to $.74 per account. This month the refund will be $.80. The more the program succeeds, the larger monthly rebate participating residents will see on their garbage bill.
This helps narrow the gap of higher garbage rates created last year when the city began the recycling program. The previous monthly garbage rate of $10 for a 96-gallon garbage cart was changed to a three-tiered cart system. Now a 48-gallon garbage cart now costs $13, a 64-gallon cart costs $18.50 and a 96-gallon cart is $25.
The city paid nearly $600,000 for 13,000 recycling and yard waste carts, Cone said at the time, which residents received along with the new monthly rates.
The recycling program utilizes a "single-stream" process managed by Lakeside Disposal and Recycling. The company collects recyclable materials such as plastic, paper, glass and aluminum from curbside carts on a bimonthly basis. Roughly 20 tons of mixed material is baled and trucked once a week to a Tacoma company where it's separated and sold, according to Lakeside Recycling and Disposal manager Dave Patterson.
The program created two new jobs at Lakeside Disposal and funded the purchase of a new baler last year, Patterson said, increasing efficiency by about five to one over the previous system.
The company collects yard waste as well, a record 400 tons' worth in May, Patterson said. In June and July about 200 to 300 tons were transported to Royal City, where it will be converted into fertilizer for area farmers.
Due to citizen input and perennial fall leaves, Lakeside Disposal agreed to extend the fall yard waste pickup by two weeks this year, making the last week of pickup Nov. 21-25.