TIME TO DOUBLE UP?
Each household in city might get second recycling tote due to agency’s new policy
KINGSTON, N.Y. >> Kingston might move to a dual-stream recycling system that would require the purchase of more totes for residents to put at curtbside.
“As you are aware, the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency recently voted to increase the fee charged to accept single-stream recycling,” Mayor Steve Noble said in a recent letter to Common Council President James Noble, his uncle. “They also voted to discontinue acceptance of these single-stream recyclables altogether at the end of the year. While I vehemently opposed these changes, as it is clear that the city of Kingston stands to suffer the most, and I will continue to advocate for a reversal in UCRRA’s decision, we nonetheless must prepare to adhere to these changes in order to protect our constituents.”
The totes are tall, covered bins that have two wheels.
Mayor Noble said he will
The mayor said his administration is in the process of getting quotes for the totes and also has been seeking grant funding to offset the cost.
ask the council’s Finance and Audit Committee to consider a resolution allowing Kingston to borrow
money to cover the cost of purchasing an additional recycling tote for each household in the city. That would allow Kingston to implement a dualstream recycling program in which paper and cardboard would be placed in
one bin, while plastic, glass and cans would go in another for recycling, he said.
The mayor said his administration is in the process of getting quotes for the totes and also has been seeking grant funding to offset the cost.
He said he expects to have firmer cost estimates and potential revenue sources identified by the time the Finance and Audit Committee meets next week.
The committee is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 10, at City Hall, 420 Broadway.
Single-stream recycling allows residents to put all recyclable materials into a single bin for collection. Municipalities and private haulers in Ulster County generally bring
the recyclables they collect to the Resource Recovery Agency, but the agency has said it can be difficult for it to then get rid of the mixed loads because some of the materials, especially paper, can become contaminated.