Danville officials say curbside recycling so contaminated material is being diverted to landfill; director urges education and enforcement

Angie Muncy, Danville’s solid waste director, told the City Commission on Jan. 27 that contamination in the city’s single-stream curbside recycling has become "so severe that the material is being rejected by the recycling center" and is being diverted to the landfill.

"It's not only unsustainable, but it also undermines the efforts and intentions of our community to promote responsible waste management," Muncy said. She described a mix of garbage and inappropriate items arriving in recycling bins and said the center currently processes more than 1,000 tons of cardboard annually along with plastics Nos. 1 and 2, steel and aluminum, but it does not accept glass in curbside service because glass shards contaminate other material and damage equipment.

Nut graf: The contamination has reached a level that the city’s contractor is rejecting loads; city staff and Republic Services representatives told the commission they want to prioritize education and shared enforcement to reduce contamination so recyclable material can be marketed and avoid needless disposal.

Muncy outlined several near-term steps: expand public education about what the city accepts, improve enforcement and accountability for repeat offenders, publish an itemized notice in the city's water/trash billing to remind customers what can and cannot go in the recycling can, and consider requiring residents to bring glass to a centralized drop-off location rather than placing it in curbside bins. She said the recycling center serves roughly 72 businesses, three factories and 60 hand-pickup locations inside Danville, not counting nearby jurisdictions.

Geneva Hoag, the recycling manager Muncy identified, described examples of contamination that forced staff to lock business bins or refuse collection until the load was cleaned. A representative of Republic Services told the commission the company is "more than willing to help out" with education and outreach and called recycling a "group effort between the city, county and Republic."

Commissioners and staff discussed enforcement levers, the availability of additional cans for households that lack a separate recycling container and the possibility of the city providing periodic reports. Muncy said she would return with updates and suggested a campaign of mail and radio outreach plus social media to push the education piece.

Ending: City staff and the commission flagged funding and staffing constraints but expressed support for a coordinated education push and stepped-up enforcement if contamination rates do not improve. No ordinance or budget amendment was adopted at the Jan. 27 meeting; staff requested continued direction and support.