Budget cuts put dent in recycling program

By Alma Gaul

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    ROCK ISLAND COUNTY, Illinois (Quad-City Times) — Recycling in Rock Island County took a hit at the end of September when the Rock Island County Waste Management Agency, or RICWMA, closed the free drop-off sites it provided in Moline, Rock Island, East Moline and Milan because of budget constraints.

The agency is funded by money it receives from the two landfills in the county based on the amount of waste they take in, a state-required payment enacted to promote diversion, or recycling programs. This amount has been decreasing for the past five years because of less waste going to the landfills, explained Brandon Melton, senior planner for the Bi-State Regional Commission and RICWMA coordinator.

In fiscal 2017, RICWMA received $551,000 in payments from the landfills; in 2021 that had fallen to $487,000, while operational costs “increased significantly over the same period,” Melton said.

Reasons for less waste could include the success of recycling programs and/or waste going to competing landfills outside the country, Melton said. And, during the pandemic, commercial waste decreased. The rate cannot be increased because it is set by law; only the legislature can change it.

In fiscal year 2020-21, the agency paid $172,000 to operate the four drop-off sites; this amount pays for bin rental and for a private company to collect and transport the recyclables to the Scott Area Recycling Center for processing.

“With less money, the RICWMA board was forced to make cuts in its budget and decided on eliminating the drop-off sites,” Melton said.

Several factors influenced the decision. One, every resident in every city in the county has access to curbside recycling if they want to pay for it through a subscription service. Moline is the exception, with mandatory recycling paid by fees assessed citywide.

Two, residents can still take recyclables to any Scott County site for free drop-off.

Three, cities in which the drop-offs were located had to deal with the mess created when people dumped non-recyclables such as mattresses or tires or when they dropped recyclables on the ground because the bins were full.

In some cases, this clean-up required one-fourth to one-third of a full-time employee to deal with, Melton said. Milan was especially hard-hit because, being the closest to non-served unincorporated areas, it was the highest-traffic site and, being the smallest, was least equipped to deal with the cost, Melton said.

To help cities pay for cleanup, the agency had been paying them a total of $50,000 annually, but dropped that even before the sites were closed because “it was a solvency issue,” Melton said.

Closing the drop-offs leaves households in unincorporated areas and those living in multi-family apartment buildings without an in-county drop-off site, but the agency felt it was the best decision.

So what programs and services does the agency continue to offer?

Examples: Any Rock Island County resident can call a number to have up to four appliances and 10 tires picked up free at their residence annually. Through a contract with the Waste Commission of Scott County, Rock Island County residents can drop off electronics and household hazardous waste (pesticides, oil-based paint, cleaners) for free at the Scott Area Recycling Center.

And through grants, the agency helps cities pay for yard waste pick-up and annual bulky waste pick-up days, offset recycling costs to residents and host Earth Day educational activities.

Will the drop-off sites return if revenues increase?

Melton said they “may or may not.”

“We are not comfortable saying one way or another… We are working with members to evaluate alternatives and continue to evaluate our budget and plan for future programs as funding allows.”

Meantime, “We are encouraging folks to utilize curbside recycling where available,” he said.

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