The city of Sun Valley took two steps back this week on implementation of a proposed mandatory "Pay as you Throw" system of variable rates for garbage collection. The proposed ordinance is designed to provide incentive for residents to recycle more while throwing away less solid waste.
Initially slated Thursday, March 15, was the third and final reading of Ordinance 384, following which the city would have been able to pass the ordinance and begin the initial three-month residential education period—the first step in implementation. But the City Council decided to give commercial and multi-family condominium complexes additional time to implement the changes. The ordinance is being written to reflect changes made in the city's contract with Ketchum-based Clear Creek Disposal.
So, the council scratched the first two readings and began anew, calling last week's reading the first reading by title only.
"It is going forward. There are just a couple of items that came under heavy conversation," said Sun Valley Mayor Jon Thorson. "People who come here (tourists from other parts of the country) expect to recycle. There is no question in my mind that recycling is good for the community."
The largest employer in the area, Sun Valley Co., is on board with the mayor's move to increase recycling.
"We intend to do it (recycle) whether or not you pass it," said Wally Huffman, general manager of Sun Valley Co. "You have our support to go ahead and do it. We'd probably make more of a difference" than the rest of the valley combined. "We owe it to the community."
Debated items included the language of the ordinance on condominiums and multi-family homes, and the subsequent timeline for implementation.
Some residents voiced concern over the perception that the city was rushing through the approval process. The city held both the first and second readings in the same meeting in February.
Part-time Sun Valley resident Dewayne Briscoe suggested the city slow down in order to present exact numbers to the community.
Briscoe sees statistics as an effective way for the city to make its case.
"Present the findings in a way that is really meaningful," Briscoe said. For example, "You will pay five more bucks, but here is your contribution to decreasing global warming."
Several residents were also uneasy over the penalty section of the ordinance, Thorson said. The penalty section stated that violators could be charged with a misdemeanor and be subject to six months in jail and a $300 fine.
This section was initially included in the original solid waste ordinance adopted in 1969, making its inclusion in the proposed ordinance redundant, Thorson said.
It should also be noted that such penalties would not apply to residents who fail to recycle, said City Councilman Nils Ribi. The penalty section is aimed at people who fail to pay their bills or fail to dispose of their trash in an appropriate manner or designated location.
"Recycling, for all intents and purposes, is not mandatory," Ribi said.
Nor was it ever. Although the ordinance was initially coined "mandatory recycling," it has always been "a market approach to reduce trash," City Administrator Virginia Egger said Wednesday, March 14.
The proposed prices for three sizes of disposal carts also were debated Thursday. Several council members questioned whether or not the current proposal provides the incentive to reduce waste that the ordinance intended.
As it stands, the proposed cart prices are: 32 gallons, $17 per month; 68 gallons, $22; and 95 gallons, $26.
Ribi suggested that a greater spread in the prices of the three carts could lend incentive to residents to opt for the smaller cart. He proposed charging $15 for the small, $20 for the medium and $28 for the large cart.
Craig Barry, executive director of the Environmental Resource Center in Ketchum, agreed that price variance can be an effective means to decreasing waste.
"In most parts of the country, $10 is a good enough spread to provide incentive," Barry said. "But I am not sure what the rate is in Sun Valley."
One of the more vocal opponents of the recycling plan was Sun Valley resident Milton Adam. "You have built into this thing tremendous costs with no additional benefit to me," Adam said.
"There are no other utilities where you pay a blanket cost for an unlimited amount," Barry noted. "And there is a benefit. It's a community benefit."
No decision on costs was made Thursday. Clear Creek Disposal's managing member, Mike Goitiandia, will plug in the council's suggestions and return with his findings at April's regular meeting of the City Council.
Pre-sorted plastics at the Ohio Gulch Transfer Station, north of Hailey, take another step in the recycling process. Photo by Willy Cook
