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Council considers ending curbside recycling as sanitation fleet problems pile up
Summary
Council heard a staff recommendation to abolish the city’s curbside recycling program because of equipment breakdowns, contamination of recycling loads and staffing constraints; staff proposed drop‑off alternatives and warned the change could be revisited if fleet capacity improves.
London City Council discussed a staff proposal to end the city’s curbside recycling program and move to alternative drop‑off options after sanitation staff described frequent truck breakdowns, contaminated recycling loads and staffing shortages.
City sanitation representatives told council that contaminated recycling — materials mixed with nonrecyclable waste — has resulted in frequent loads being rejected and routed to the landfill. A sanitation official described the operation as a "money pit" and said the department is often forced to run routes twice when trucks are unavailable or when recycling must be handled separately.
Council heard that disposal costs remain but the larger savings would come from reduced manpower hours, lower wear‑and‑tear and fewer duplicate routes: "What we're looking at cost savings in is manpower, wear and tear on equipment, and fuel," a sanitation speaker said. Staff said the city pays a lower tip fee for clean recycling but estimated that up to half of curbside material is contaminated and ends up in the trash at times.
Sanitation staff also reported difficulties replacing vehicles: a quoted price for a replacement packer truck was about $389,000 with a 12‑month lead time, a timeframe staff said is too long given current failures. Council members asked about privatization, alternative vendors and whether raising user fees could be used to stabilize services.
Council introduced Resolution 159-25 to abolish the city’s recycling program and discussed next steps, including potential third‑party drop‑off containers or private operators who could accept city residents’ recyclables. Staff said they would continue to explore options and that the resolution is expected to go forward for further readings, giving residents the opportunity to comment at subsequent meetings.
On related sanitation items, council also considered raising a monthly curb‑assistance fee (the charge to have sanitation staff retrieve carts from the curb) from the current rate (about $3.09 as reported) to $12 for able‑bodied customers; one councilor proposed a $20 amendment. Council did not finalize changes at this meeting and indicated the proposals would return for additional readings and public comment.
