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Syracuse council keeps $4 monthly recycling fee and citywide cart rollout after public hearing
Summary
After more than an hour of public comment and council discussion, the Syracuse City Council confirmed a citywide bundled recycling service: each household will receive a blue recycling cart and a $4 monthly recycling fee will be added to bills; hardship waivers and a 30‑day cart‑return option were retained.
Council Member Jordan Savage, Syracuse’s representative to the Wasatch Integrated Waste District, told the City Council that the Davis County landfill is approaching capacity and urged more waste diversion to slow future rate increases.
“We are trying to divert up to 30% of residential waste,” Savage said in a presentation that outlined the district’s material recovery improvements and the economics of a bundled recycling program. He told the council the county’s landfill could be effectively exhausted in roughly 18 years if current trends continue and that the improvements at the material recovery facility have significantly raised cardboard recovery rates.
The council opened a public hearing on the proposal and heard two hours of testimony from residents who both supported and opposed the mandatory bundled plan. Supporters said a modest fee now would spare larger increases later; critics said the program should allow an opt‑out for households that will not use a recycling cart or for multi‑unit properties where carts are impractical.
“I would like an opt‑out,” Carol Yamamoto, a resident of Sunset Villas, told the council. “We are senior citizens; we do not have large garages. We should have an opt‑out program.”
Others urged participation. Lloyd Cheney, who said he works for another city, told the council: “I just wanted to stand in support of the recycling program. The $4 is very nominal and is a great way to help extend the life of our landfill.”
Council members and staff answered questions about city delivery and use. Savage and staff said the Recycling Partnership and the district are subsidizing can purchases (an additional bundled subsidy of roughly $5 per household if participation is high), that the city will deliver blue carts to all residences and offer to pick up unwanted carts within 30 days, and that a hardship exemption will be available through Utah HEAP for qualifying households.
The council considered a motion to reconsider the implementation decision previously adopted on Feb. 11. Council Member Brett moved to reconsider; Julie seconded. After debate the motion to reconsider failed. The mayor announced the council’s decision: the program will proceed as adopted on Feb. 11.
What the adopted program requires and provides: - A $4 monthly recycling fee added to residential utility bills, effective May 1, tied to a bundled recycling service. - Automatic delivery of a blue recycling cart to each residential address; residents who do not want the cart may request city pickup within about 30 days. - A hardship waiver option for qualifying households via Utah HEAP. - Prohibitions and guidance: glass and several other materials should not be placed in blue carts; glass drop‑off is available at the district transfer station.
Council and district officials repeatedly framed the plan as financial and operational: city staff said county hauling and transfer costs will continue to grow unless more material is diverted now, and the district expects recycling and green‑waste programs to reduce long‑term rate pressure.
The decision concludes the council’s formal consideration of the program for now. Members said they will monitor participation and diversion rates and revisit implementation details if the district’s or the city’s costs change.
Sources: presentation and Q&A by Council Member Jordan Savage; public‑comment testimony read into the record; city staff summaries and the council vote during the Syracuse City Council public meeting.
