The Sun Valley City Council is considering mandatory recycling, and failure to comply would result in increased garbage disposal fees. The proposed recycling program will work in conjunction with a new "Pay as you Throw" system of variable rates, designed to encourage recycling and discourage waste.
In a City Council work session, held Wednesday, Jan. 17, Mike Goitiandia, managing member of Clear Creek Disposal, laid out a proposal that in many ways seeks to alter the collective conscience of Sun Valley residents.
"We are trying to make a service that fits a household on a regular basis," Goitiandia said. "Our plan is to provide for recycling and provide incentive for recycling."
The "Pay as you Throw" system relies on households, condominium complexes and businesses to choose a garbage service that correlates to their needs. Single-family homes, for example, will choose between small, medium and large carts. They are 32 gallons at $17 per month, 68 gallons at $22 and 95 gallons at $26, respectively.
The concept is simple, said City Administrator Virginia Egger.
"The more trash you throw out, the more you pay," she said. "We are trying to use a market approach to reduce trash. The goal is not just recycling. The real goal is to change how you acquire the materials you take in and how you use them."
Changes to the recycling program include single-family homes receiving six individual, 12-gallon bins, Goitiandia said. Clear Creek will recycle glass, aluminum, tin, newspaper, magazines, white paper, and certain types of plastic.
The containers will not be designated for a specific use. "If a family needs three for glass, they can use three for glass," Goitiandia said.
The plan for residential "Pay as You Throw" could be implemented by June 2007, and the plan for commercial properties could go online by September 2007.
