Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Recycling topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
O'Fallon reports strong early uptake of single-stream recycling as cart rollout continues
Summary
City staff told the Public Works Advisory Committee that initial single-stream curbside recycling pickups tripled average daily tonnage to about 22 tons in the program's first three service days; the rollout will continue through April with grant-funded carts and education materials.
City staff told the Public Works Advisory Committee on March 19 that the first weeks of the city's single-stream curbside recycling rollout are producing substantially higher participation and volumes than the program saw before the change.
The presenter said Tuesday routes have been in service for three pickups and that the city is averaging about 22 tons per day of recyclable material — roughly 3.5 times the prior average of 6.5 tons per day. "Things are going extremely well in that regard, as far as picking them all up and getting everybody serviced," the presenter said.
Why it matters: higher participation reduces the need for staffed drop-off centers and can improve the economics of curbside recycling if contamination remains low. Staff said they will complete cart exchanges and convert Wednesday routes in early April, with Thursday and Friday following shortly after. The presenter said the city secured grant funding of up to about $540,000 to purchase carts and an additional $60,000—6,000 to pay for outreach materials such as postcards and magnets.
Committee members pressed staff on operational details. On acceptable materials, staff said advances in sorting equipment allow facilities to accept black plastic that previously was rejected, but they warned that items larger than a five-gallon bucket (for example, large plastic playsets) are too large for the processing line and must be handled as bulky waste or taken to a drop-off. Staff also described an "oops" tagging system: a tag alerts residents to a contamination problem on the pickup; repeat violations receive a different tag and could lead to refusal of service until corrected.
Staff confirmed residents can keep older 64/65-gallon carts or opt for newly issued 95-gallon carts; retrieved older carts will be redeployed to other homes. They also said the program relies on partners that accept single-stream material, naming the city's processing partner and regional facilities in St. Peters and Saint Charles County as places that will continue to accept bulk cardboard after local drop-offs close.
On cost, staff said the processing arrangement for 2025 has no per-ton charge billed to the city; contract terms for 2026 are under negotiation but staff said per-ton costs are not expected to exceed $55. Staff noted that the per-ton revenue for cardboard loads from remote drop-offs is typically small (the presenter estimated about $40 per such load) and that curbside pickup has operational efficiencies that can make route collection less costly than frequent remote container collection.
Closing: staff said contamination so far has been low but that monitoring will ramp up as routes grow. Once all households receive carts, the city plans to close permanent local drop-off bins and provide residents with locations for bulky or outsize recycling.
At the meeting, no vote or binding action was taken on the recycling program; the presentation and questions were for information and operational planning.
