Jacksonville will resume curbside pickup service for recycling on April 4. Whether glass will be a part of that process is up in the air.
The City Council's new solid waste committee met for the first of nine meetings Thursday, the topic being recycling.
Public Works Director John Pappas told council members that one way to staunch the growing debt of the city's solid waste fund is to drop materials from its recycling program that don't generate profit or recoup costs.
Namely glass.
According to Pappas, glass makes up nearly a quarter of the materials that go to the city's processing plant, and it costs the city about $15 per ton to sell glass, as the resources involved in processing it to be ready for market is greater than the value of the end product.
"When I say 'sell,' it actually was a cost. It was just under $760,000 for Fiscal Year 2021," Pappas said. "It costs the city $160,000 more than if you took it to the landfill, and if there was one item that we would recommend, or at least discussed for removal, it would be glass."
Councilman Ron Salem, who chairs the special committee, expressed support for the idea alongside other council members.
Only District 1 Councilwoman Joyce Morgan gave any pushback. While she supported the economic argument being made, Morgan wanted the environmental impact to be a factor in the decision.
"I don't know how we get to this point where we say 'it's not a moneymaker and we understand that, but it's for our future. It's for the environment,'" she said.
While most of the committee approved removing glass before recycling continued, it was unclear whether that was feasible by the April deadline.
Brian Hughes, the city's chief administrative officer, alongside public works and the solid waste division, will provide the council with options at the special committee's next meeting on March 3, also focused on recycling.
The special committee on solid waste, which has a June 31 end date by council President Sam Newby, is running on the following schedule:
Feb. 17 — recycling.
March 3 — recycling.
March 17 — transfer station.
April 7 — solid waste fee.
April 21 — status of waste haulers.
May 5 — status of waste haulers.
May 19 — new technology.
June 9 — recommendations.
June 23 — recommendations.
