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Republic Services briefed Dayton council on recycling gains, organics and electrification plans
Summary
Republic Services told the council Dayton's recycling contamination fell from 28% (2023) to 9% (most recent sort); the company described polymer-center investments that keep plastics in the loop, organics curbside pilots across the county, and EV truck pilots planned for 2026.
Beth Matisen, municipal services manager for Republic Services, told Dayton City Council the company's investments in polymer processing and expanded sorting have materially reduced contamination in the city's recycling loads — from roughly 28% in an earlier 2023 composition sort to about 9% in the most recent sort (2025). She credited resident education, city outreach and youth recycling habits for the improvement.
Matisen also described regional organics programs rolling out in Henipin County (curbside cart pilots for food waste) and Republic Services' work to pilot electric collection trucks and build charging infrastructure in some municipalities in 2026. Council members asked operational questions about how loads are evaluated, when a contaminated recycling load is diverted to landfill, and why pizza boxes and greasy food are rejected (the company explained the grease/oil contaminates paper recycling streams).
Council thanked Republic Services for the update and discussed next steps for public education and potential partnerships on an organics rollout in Dayton.
