Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Waste Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council clarifies curbside recycling requirement to match each hauler’s trash schedule
Summary
An ordinance amendment would move recycling-frequency language from the code’s definitions into operative text so recycling pickup must match a hauler’s trash schedule (weekly/biweekly/monthly); committee discussed hauler concerns and future options, including single-hauler models.
Mount Vernon staff and council members debated a code amendment to make clear that recycling pickup frequency must match the schedule a waste hauler provides for trash collection, reducing confusion and closing a loophole that some smaller haulers were reportedly exploiting.
Under the proposed change, if a resident receives weekly trash service, the hauler must offer weekly recycling; if the hauler’s trash service is biweekly or monthly, the recycling pickup schedule would match that cadence. Staff explained the revision simply moves the existing scheduling language from the definitions section into the operative code to prevent divergent interpretations.
Committee members and staff described a recent meeting with local haulers that grew contentious at times; some smaller operators had indicated they would prefer less-frequent recycling pickup for competitive reasons. Council members said the amendment is intended to level the playing field and ensure residents are offered recycling service and containers by their hauler.
Council discussed longer-term options—such as pursuing a single-hauler contract or a city-branded single supplier that might reduce costs—but agreed those are separate policy choices requiring further study.
What’s next: Staff will refine ordinance language and bring it back; enforcement of separate recycling containers remains in existing Chapter 755 language.
