Siloam Springs wins state recycling award; city to add recycling bins at apartment complexes

Jason Davis, Community Services Director, told the commission Siloam Springs was named the Arkansas Recycling Coalition’s top municipality for recycling. "We won the Arkansas Recycling Coalition Award ... number one municipality in the state for recycling," Davis said, thanking the sanitation team and the commission for support.

Davis said the city secured a Recycling Partnership grant to pilot multifamily recycling by placing five large containers at major apartment locations and running bilingual outreach. "Part of that grant money has to be used for education stickers and door hangers and things like that," he said, and the program will include materials in English and Spanish and door-to-door education to raise participation.

He said the city is evaluating expanding recycling to residential glass pickup but has not yet rolled out curbside glass service because of market and capacity concerns. "We're actually making money on that now," Davis said of the glass program, reporting roughly $25 per ton as the market value in recent weeks.

Davis said the city will begin placing the apartment containers and conducting education by early next year if procurement and delivery proceed on schedule.