WW council to discuss recycling
By Terry Murry on Monday, May 8th, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA — The Walla Walla City Council meets this afternoon (Monday) at 4 p.m. for a work session. The council will discuss the reintroduction of plastics and glass into the recycling stream.
Reintroducing plastics would reverse the current policy of no plastics allowed in the recycling stream. City staff recommends that any education and/or enforcement efforts going forward should now be directed at recycling appropriate plastics. Furthermore, city staff will seek grant funding to support the outreach, education, and enforcement efforts.
The city council will also discuss reintroducing glass into the recycling stream. The city of Walla Walla previously had an informal glass recycling program that was suspended in 2012. However, based on comments received from the last several annual resident satisfaction surveys, residents want the city to restore a glass recycling program.
In 2022, the city engaged a consultant to study options and their associated costs. City staff shared the findings with both the Sustainability and Solid Waste Advisory committees and both agreed that reintroducing glass – curbside, single stream – is the right course of action.
Unless directed otherwise, staff will request an optional fee for service from the city’s recycling collections service provider for inclusion with the next recycling contract. If the additional service is authorized by the city council and depending on the availability of materials and equipment to provide the service, curbside glass recycling would likely begin in 2025.
Also on the agenda, a briefing on the state’s opioid settlement agreement and discussion on a memorandum of understanding between the greater Columbia region municipalities to establish an opioid abatement council.
