Mayor's Office Says Convenience Centers Is Better Option
posted July 7, 2006
A group seeking to keep curbside recycling in the city of Chattanooga is working on a petition that would put the issue before city voters in November.
However, the mayor's office says curbside recycling is not working and a new recycling program will be better.
Charlotte Mullis of the election office said the group led by Frank DePinto will have to collect 14,901 names on the petitions to force the vote. That is 15 percent of the city's registered voters.
The names would have to be collected within 60 days of the November election.
City officials recently announced that as a part of the upcoming budget that the city would move to additional transfer stations instead of the curbside recycling.
Mr. DePinto and his group held a meeting Thursday night and plans to appear before the City Council public works committee on Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the full council at 6 p.m.
Mr. DePinto said he is receiving an outpouring of support for the effort.
Ms. Mullis said the group is working on perfecting the wording on the petition.
Michelle Michaud of the mayor's office said the City Council votes Tuesday on the budget, which includes ending curbside recycling in October.
She said, "The mayor wants to be innovative in recycling. Curbside recycling is not working. The numbers show it."
She said having recycling centers spread throughout the city will bring in more recyclables.
Ms. Michaud said only about 50 percent of the items taken to Orange Grove now are able to be recycled.
She said the new plan includes recycling centers at Warner Park, Lookout Valley, Hixson and S. Broad Street along with a fifth site. She said there may also be a number of other sites, such as fire stations, where containers are set up for cans, glass and plastic.
She said the main centers will take additional items that are not accepted now, such as computers, radios and TVs. She said Orange Grove personnel will go through the electronic items to salvage valuables from them.
Ms. Michaud said the transfer stations will work better than curbside recycling because the items will be presorted and will be placed in roll off bins.
"We will get a better product," she said.
She said the centers will also take paper, cardboard, two kinds of metal, two kinds of plastic and three kinds of glass.
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