As the city of Emporia awaits a new recycling contract proposal, residents won’t have to worry about seeing the Curbit program disappear if a contract isn’t finalized by New Year’s Eve.
On KVOE’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Solid Waste Supervisor Keith Senn said Hamm’s Quarries has assured city leaders it will honor the current terms if a proposal isn’t finalized by the end of the year. There had been some concerns earlier about the city possibly putting Curbit on pause, given trends in the overall recycling market, but Senn says that option shouldn’t be needed.
What may be coming is the prospect of a rate increase. Back in late August, city commissioners discussed a proposal to add nearly $1 per customer per month to continue the program. The proposed contract also includes higher upfront expenses for hauling and sorting but would pay back higher rebates if recycling markets return to pre-2018 levels.
Curbit is available to single-family homes and multi-family apartment complexes with four units or less. Glass, most paper, corrugated cardboard and plastics with numbers 1-7 are now accepted.
There are currently around 7,900 eligible residences in Emporia — with about 6,900 either with the green-topped recycling Polycarts or actively involved in the program. Senn says the program has generated over 1,000 tons a year since it started in June 2015.
