The county is still seeking an economical recycling option by finding a cheaper transportation method. Monday, the Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners discussed the lack of recycling options in since Emerald Coast Utility Authority announced its intention to stop the service in mid December.
The county determined it would cost $34.50 a ton, including a $12.50 tipping fee, and would only be able to get less than half of the recyclable material county citizens produce processed.
Commission Chairman Lane Lynchard said during Monday’s meeting the facility, the Tarpon Paper Company, where the county’s recyclables were transported in the past, now charges a the aforementioned fee, the same reason ECUA decided to stop picking up recyclables before finishing its facility this summer.
Ron Hixson, in the county’s environmental department, said the total cost would amount to $34.50.
This includes a bid from RMR Trucking to pick up the county’s recyclables, but Tarpon can only handle 40 percent of the county’s recyclables.
Commissioner Rob Williamson said, “So the best case scenario is 60 percent is going to the landfill.” While he described the situation as horrible, he said it’s a no brainer since so much is still going to the dump for the cost.
While Hixson noted ECUA is working on bringing a new facility online by June or July, Williamson and Commissioner Bob Cole wanted to get information out to the public.
Williamson wanted it known the county is still looking for a waste hauler to handle the county’s recyclables and get the cost under the current $34.50 amount. Cole’s words were to the residents who may still be wondering what to do with their recycling.
After Hixson confirmed there was little cost difference in taking all of the recyclables to the landfill now, Cole said, “So the answer is you just keep using that recycling can as if we were recycling and we'll work on getting it to the recycler as hard as we can on our end.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: County seeks recycling options