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Comal County reviews nine‑option recycling plan as single‑stream economics worsen
Summary
County staff presented a nine‑option cost analysis for recycling, mulch and brush operations, citing a 35% contamination rate in a single‑stream audit and recommending policy changes (no green waste bags; inventory‑driven drop‑off rules). Public commenters urged restoring remote sites for rural residents.
County recycling staff Robert Boyd presented a detailed nine‑option cost analysis during the May 15 workshop, saying the county’s move to single‑stream collection earlier this year prompted a close review of long‑term costs, staffing and equipment needs.
Boyd told the court the first audit showed a 35% contamination rate for single‑stream loads and reported Waste Management’s audit offer of roughly "$96.22 per ton" for disposal in the first audit. He outlined options ranging from continuing single‑stream collection at the rural recycling center (with no new manpower) to reopening rural sites with separated streams (cardboard, aluminum, single‑stream) that would require additional staff, new trucks and one‑time equipment costs. Boyd said the county’s three recycling trucks will eventually need replacement — each costing "just over $265,000" — and that the county is evaluating fee changes for 2026 to cover improved mulch product and operations.
During public comment, Wesleya Miller, executive director of the nonprofit Provisions, urged commissioners to reinstate remote recycling locations, saying the service provided essential disposal for cardboard used by food‑pantry operations. Miller said she was "very hopeful that the remote recycling center or some permutation thereof will be reinstated." Commissioners discussed commodity prices, compactor costs, and the tradeoffs of subsidizing single‑stream service for residents without municipal waste contracts.
