Scott City recycling program set to end June 11; city officials say economy tough for recycling

Scott City�s recycling program is set to end June 11 unless city officials can find another company to provide the service, city administrator Doug Richards said Tuesday.

Inter-Rail Systems Inc. (ISI) of Scott City had been providing the service free of charge. At one point ISI provided curbside recycling, with the city providing the equipment.

�Basically, they did it as a service to the city,� Richards said.

But curbside recycling ended last fall, according to the city�s website. Residents have continued to recycle cans, mixed paper, cardboard and plastic items by taking them to the company�s drop-off site on Main Street or the ISI facility, city officials said.

But even that level of service will come to an end soon unless city officials can partner with another company or entity to take the recyclable materials.

Cardboard products sit in a recycling container Tuesday outside of the Inter-Rail Systems Inc. facility in Scott City.BEN MATTHEWS

ISI has notified city officials it is ending its service.

�It is costing them money recycle it,� Richards said, adding low prices for recyclable materials throughout the region and nationally have made it financially difficult for recycling companies.

�The price has dropped so drastically that very few are making any money at all,� Richards said. �It is a lose-lose proposition,� he added.

Richards said city officials want to continue to offer recycling service. But he said it is not economically feasible for the city to pay for recycling.

Adding a weekly curbside pickup of recyclable materials would double the cost of trash services, Richards said. The city now pays about $15,000 a month for a private firm, Progressive Waste, to handle regular trash collection for residents and businesses.

Cardboard products sit in a recycling container Tuesday outside of the Inter-Rail Systems Inc. facility in Scott City.BEN MATTHEWS

Richards said Scott City, with a population of about 6,000, cannot afford to invest in a recycling operation like larger cities, such as Cape Girardeau, have.

�It is almost cost prohibitive for a smaller community� to provide recycling services, he said.

The Southeast Missourian reached out to ISI, but an employee who answered the phone Tuesday said the company would have �no comment.�

Richards said city officials continue to look for a solution. �We are trying to look at all options,� he said.

�We would love to offer the service. We believe in recycling,� Richards said.

Scott City Councilman Tim Porch said the city used to operate its own trash and recycling service. But the operation was costly, both in terms of equipment and personnel.

The former mayor said he doesn�t want the city to get back into the recycling business. Among other things, doing so would require the city to build a new facility to handle the recyclable materials.

Porch said the arrangement with ISI benefited the city and its residents. �We had a service we paid zero for, for many, many years,� he said.

Those days are over, he said.

In the long run, Porch said any recycling service in Scott City likely would have to be fee based. Any company providing such a service would want to serve all households in the city, he said.

Porch said, in that case, any fee proposal �should go on some type of ballot� so the issue could be decided by voters.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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