Members of the Milton City Council showed support in offering recycling services to Milton citizens during the city’s executive committee meeting on Monday night. They voted in favor of the service, which will come before the regular city council meeting on Tuesday at 5 p.m. for a second vote.
Milton’s Public Works Director George Rials presented the proposal before the council with additional input from City Manager Brian Watkins.
“We are recommending that we provide it to those customers that want it voluntarily for a recycling service charge of five dollars a month,” Rials said. “It targets only those customers that are serious about recycling.”
Although two of the council members − R.L. Lewis and Marilyn Jones − were not present at the meeting, the remaining council members voted in favor in offering the recycling option to residents.
Mayor Wesley Meiss voiced his support in offering recycling and said many residents inquired about having a recycling service available. “I can say from the experience of knocking on doors this summer, that was definitely an issue,” Meiss said, “I will be one of the first to sign up for it.”
Another issue brought before the council was the current condition of the city’s garbage retrieval trucks.
“We got five side armed trucks, all of which are either at or approaching ten years old,” Watkins said. “We are going to have an issue with truck replacement probably in the very near future.”
Should it be passed by council at their regular meeting next week and the city’s sanitation customers opt for recycling services, Watkins said the $5 option would bring the city’s collection rates slightly above the same rates as the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority. Currently, ECUA charges $51.27 per quarter, which includes recycling services. Without recycling services, the City of Milton charges $16.30 per month.
“We think we can… meet or exceed the service they are providing (with) ECUA,” he said. “With the five dollars a month charge, it puts us slightly above their rate. I think that is pretty good for us to able to do that.”
The issue is expected to be brought before the council in next Tuesday’s regular council meeting, Rials said. In addition to seeking $71,272 to fund the recycling program, the public works department will also seek to make the optional $5 recycling charge available to Milton residents.
“The staff is requesting of council to fund the containers and the labor required to fund the recyclable program,” Rials said.
“That money would more than likely come out of sanitation reserves to fund it.”
Should the motion pass, the city’s sanitation customers would receive a letter in the mail with instructions on how to register including a list of recyclable and non-recyclable items, Rials said.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Recycling option may come to City of Milton