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Commissioners discuss fairness of recycling fund distribution after Livermore officials raise concerns
Summary
Livermore officials questioned why the City of Humboldt receives a large share of recycling-related funds that county towns share; county staff described current arrangements, tonnage and costs and said the allocation method will be re-examined during budget work.
Residents and officials from smaller Humboldt County towns raised concerns that the City of Humboldt receives a disproportionate share of money tied to local recycling operations; county officials said the distribution dates to an initiative started in the late 1990s and said they will revisit allocation during budget work.
The conversation matters because county payments support local recycling trailers and the operating costs of hauling recyclables; some towns pay to transport material to regional processing centers.
One speaker asked why Humboldt gets a larger share and whether the county could ask the city to redistribute some funds. “So if we talk to the city who gets all the money and see if they would consider redistributing some of that,” the county official suggested. A county staff member gave operational figures: since receiving new trailers in February, the county reported about “42 or 45 tons of recycling” collected and “50 some trips” to the processing center. That staff member also said mixed recycling is being charged “2¢ a pound” to dispose of, while strictly cardboard is baled and sold when market prices allow.
Speakers said the county currently spends about 15,500 (currency not specified in the record) on recycling operations and that Humboldt receives the largest single share; one participant estimated “about $10,000” is divided among towns. County staff said some of the program’s funding flows through the county budget and that the original program appears to have been started to encourage recycling rather than by a current, specific resolution.
County members suggested a per-capita or per-capacity distribution model for towns that actively operate recycling trailers and said the allocation will be examined during the county’s budget workshop. No formal county policy change or vote was taken at the meeting.
Speakers included county staff involved in collection and hauling, local residents and commissioners who agreed to review distribution formulas during budget preparation.
