Council members, residents press for fixes to recycling program as city introduces $1,000 electronics recycling grant

Residents and council members on May 13 pressed the city to fix its recycling program after several speakers described high rejection rates and related costs; the council also introduced a $1,000 County grant for an electronics recycling event.

Tom Coyne, a longtime resident, told the council the city’s pickup process has been returning or discarding commingled recyclables and that the city is spending tens of thousands of dollars as a result. "We're just on the cusp of a hundred thousand dollars that we've thrown in the dump," Coyne said, describing duplicate truck runs, fuel and labor costs tied to recyclables that end up in the trash. Council member (transcript: McCandridge) said he had repeatedly proposed short-term operational fixes, including a separate pickup for glass and plastic, and noted, "We're paying almost a hundred grand now because they're taking our commingled recyclables and throwing them in the garbage." He urged administration staff to provide a status update on the recycling contractor procurement.

Council action: The council introduced a resolution to accept a Lackawanna County grant of $1,000 to support an electronics recycling event; the item was advanced into committee. Separately, council members stated staff were searching for new recycling contractors and that prior proposals (separate pickups, vendor changes) were under consideration. No final procurement decision was made during the meeting.

Why it matters: inefficient recycling pickup increases municipal operating costs and wastes material that could be recycled. Council members said the extra costs are being borne by the city or ratepayers and that procurement of a new contract or operational changes could reduce those losses.

Next steps: council members requested updates from administration on the recycling vendor search and on the status of bids; staff said the city was working on vendor outreach. The electronics recycling grant introduction allows the city to pursue county funding for a single-event recycling collection planned for Scranton residents.

Community context: speakers tied recycling problems to broader service concerns, including street and stormwater maintenance. Several speakers asked for clearer timelines and stronger enforcement of contractor performance.

Ending: Council members said they will follow up with administration on the contractor procurement and push to implement interim measures to reduce rejection and disposal costs.