Texas-side curbside recycling expected to resume by July 1

TEXARKANA, Texas - After an nine-month pause, Waste Management expects curbside, single-stream recycling to resume locally by July 1, a representative told the City Council during its meeting Monday.

Needed local facilities improvements, as well as staff certification and an OK from state environmental regulators are almost completed, WM's Doug Sims told the Council.

"We received last week our approval from TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) for our modifications and permit for the transport station on West Seventh Street," Sims said.

Last year, the processing facility in Shreveport, Louisiana, that WM was using stopped accepting recyclables, forcing the company to bury them in a landfill as it worked with the Council and city staff on a new plan.

In February, the Council passed a resolution updating the city's contract with Waste Management to account for an increase in the residential garbage collection rate. The increase is needed to pay for WM's collection of mixed recyclables and their transport to a processing facility in Arlington, Texas.

The rate will go up in two equal phases, increasing by $1.71 per month when recycling service resumes this year and by that amount again in October 2022.

The contract changes also include reducing the city's number of free waste bin removals - used for projects such as demolition and neighborhood cleanups - from 250 to 100 to offset some of the cost of recycling.

The recycling restart will include a public education effort to remind Texas-side residents what is recyclable and what is not.

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THE SENTINEL-RECORD

The Sentinel-Record/Mara Kuhn - Lake Hamilton's Eli Jackson (44) runs the ball as Sheridan's Brady Bibb (9) defends during the football game at Lake Hamilton on Frirday, Sept. 25, 2015.

WM workers will affix new labels on yellow-top recycling bins that spell out what can and cannot be placed inside. They will also hang informational cards on bins that contain inappropriate materials.

Accepted materials will include clean plastic bottles and containers, clean food and beverage cans, paper, and flattened cardboard and paperboard.

Items that cannot be recycled include foods; liquids; foam cups and containers; loose plastic bags, bagged recyclables or plastic film; green waste such as tree limbs and grass clippings; clothing, furniture and carpet; batteries; and glass.

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