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Longview council hears stark drop in recycling participation; city weighs options to keep program
Summary
City sanitation staff told council Longview's recycling participation fell from about 50% to roughly 12% after a MRF fire and market changes; officials said keeping the service will require higher participation or a subscription/opt'in model and noted higher disposal costs of about $100 per ton.
Longview officials spent a large portion of their July 30 meeting grappling with a drop in household recycling. Roland McPhee, who presented the sanitation update, said the program once produced about 300 tons of recyclables per month but now yields a fraction of that after a local material recovery facility (MRF) fire and national market shifts.
"Currently, our participation rate is at 12%," McPhee said, noting the city had previously reached about a 50% participation rate. He told the council markets changed when local processors (NiTechs) limited accepted plastic resin codes to #1, #2 and #5, and that contamination during the Rivers MRF interruption forced staff to stagger trash and recycling collection days.
Council members focused on the economics of routes and potential program changes. Councilmember Sydney asked how many trucks the city runs; McPhee said the system uses nine sanitation trucks and three recycling trucks, reflecting the much lower volume for recyclables. Councilmember John (remote) and others raised a subscription or opt-in model used by Tyler, Texas, where residents pay a monthly fee and the city runs recycling routes only for participating households.
McPhee told council a subscription model could break even at roughly 15% participation with a $5 monthly fee, and that volunteer advocates dubbed the "Blue Crew" number about 350 people. Councilmembers emphasized the choice facing residents: the city is subsidizing recycling in the base sanitation rate, but that subsidy is spread across all customers regardless of participation.
The mayor asked the public to give council feedback and suggested the council could leave status quo, calendar the issue for reconsideration, or set a deadline for a participation threshold. No formal change to the recycling program was adopted at the meeting; staff were asked to return with further details and potential timelines.
