City says downtown glass and cardboard drop site will close; staff cite permit and market constraints

A longtime downtown recycling drop site that accepted glass and cardboard will be closed after the winter holidays and is not being relocated to an equivalent downtown location, Public Works Director Mark Russell told the Olympia City Council on Oct. 21.

The announcement followed a public comment from resident Larry Chezza, who said city communication about the closure had been poor and urged the city to lease or buy a site to continue recycling services downtown. “The city did not do a good job communicating this removal of service from the public,” Chezza said, adding that many users reacted with surprise and disappointment when he raised the issue.

Chezza noted the city manager had previously told the council, at the meeting approving sale of the Plum Street property, that programs and services on the site would be relocated during the 18-month leaseback period. Mayor and staff confirmed the city now faces an 18-month window to clear the property after the sale to the Squaxin Island Tribe; staff said deeper site, permitting and market constraints have affected relocation plans.

Russell told the council staff had been working for months to find a practical new site but could not identify a location that would handle glass recycling responsibly. “Glass and cardboard, those take a lot of space,” Russell said. He said some unstaffed drop locations lead to contamination and illicit behavior; the city’s previous site had the benefit of frequent city staff presence. He also said the regulatory requirements for a relocated Saturday drop-off have changed since the city first opened similar services and that new permitting would likely require improvements.

Russell outlined the city’s timeline: recycle drop-site signs have been posted, information is on the city’s website and the closure will be publicized in an insert that accompanies utility bills. The cardboard and glass collections will continue through the holiday peak and are planned to close in January–February 2026, Russell said. He emphasized there are alternatives outside downtown: the Waste & Recovery Center on the east side (Hogan Bay), the West Side Yauger Park facility (glass), and private recyclers that accept glass.

Council members pressed staff about temporary or partner-hosted options. Council Member Vanderpool asked whether neighboring governments or institutions had been considered for temporary use; Russell said the county had not yet purchased the site across Plum Street when staff first searched and that previous outreach to private property owners (for example, the Capital Mall) had been declined because of problems at unstaffed sites.

Council Member Cooper asked about closing timing and urged staff to consider temporary holiday or peak-season solutions and to evaluate emissions implications of residents driving to distant facilities. Russell said staff are open to working with a business, nonprofit or church willing to host a drop location but cautioned contracting, legal and risk issues would need to be addressed.

City Manager Jay Birney added context about the 18-month leaseback window tied to the sale and said staff learned more about permitting and site-size needs as they progressed, limiting what could be accomplished within the relocation window. “For now, within this limited 18-month window we have, it's gonna be difficult for us to locate and permit and site a new facility,” Birney said.

Several council members said they want a fuller study-session conversation about recycling markets and options. Council Member Cooper suggested a study session to review how market changes and permitting affect local recycling capacity and to explore consolidation to reduce vehicle trips to off-site recyclers.

Public commenters and council members framed the closure as a loss of convenient downtown service that will disproportionately affect residents who rely on the downtown drop site. Staff emphasized alternatives exist but acknowledged they may be less convenient and that glass recycling markets have weakened, with some glass processing plants in the region closing.

The city did not record any formal council vote on relocation during the Oct. 21 meeting; staff said they will continue outreach, post notices and follow up on potential partner-hosting options while the closure schedule is finalized.