Airway Heights considers curbside recycling
AIRWAY HEIGHTS – Curbside recycling may soon be an option for Airway Heights residents.
City officials will vote Sept. 2 on whether to add a citywide recycling program, possibly entering a three-year contract that could increase the average monthly residential garbage bill of $9.69 to roughly $12.89. Residents who reduce the amount of trash they produce by recycling could see their bill drop to around $10.52, according to preliminary city estimates, which may change by the time the council votes.
Under the proposal from Sunshine Disposal and Recycling, newspapers, plastics, soda cans, cardboard, tin and other items could all be tossed into the same 22-gallon bin, which will be provided by the Spokane Regional Solid Waste Program.
Sunshine currently contracs with the city for regular garbage service.
Several citizens and council members had suggestions and doubts about the program at a public hearing on the issue Monday evening. One citizen pointed out his family probably couldn’t fill a whole 22-gallon recycling bin every week.
At one point, Sunshine officials toted two sample bins up the City Hall stairs and set them in front of the audience.
“They did bring clean ones, trust me,” council member Patrick Rushing said with a laugh.
Mayor Matthew Pederson noted that the city’s current two mass recycling bins are by his house and tend to stink on the hotter summer days. Having many bins full of decaying material around the city might cause a problem, he said.
Airway Heights often experiences high winds, said one citizen, a point that was later punctuated when the City Council meeting lost power in Monday evening’s windstorm. With open-mouthed recycling bins all over the city, things may blow out of the containers.
After the company collects all Airway Heights recyclables, they’ll ship the refuse to their plant in Spokane Valley, sort it, and then sell it to local companies.
A large part of the public hearing centered around allowing people to dispose of their yard waste in a 96-gallon container. This is an extra option allowed with the program, Sunshine officials said.