The Virginian-Pilot
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Coming soon, 67,000 big blue recycling bins.
The long-awaited unveiling of the city's new recycling program will start Nov. 9, when more than 1,000 big blue bins will be delivered to homes across Chesapeake each day for more than a month, officials said.
To pay the $2.9 million cost, City Manager William Harrell decided to raid a pot of cash set aside for transportation projects.
The attempt to set up the recycling program has been one of the city's most important, but troubled, efforts of the year.
Chesapeake is still trying to line up another company to pick up the carts after the first bidding process for the job was scrapped. Companies that entered the second round of bidding interviewed for the job last week.
"I'm hoping this will be able to go through smoothly from this point on," Councilwoman Debbie Ritter said. "I think we're on the right track now."
The city wanted to have the recycling program up and running by August.
The City Council this year imposed a $3-per-month fee for residents to help pay for the program, but o fficials hope the program will eventually save money by reducing trash disposal fees.
"It's a program that will be very popular," Ritter said. "If it's a popular program that saves money, you've really got a winner."
Many residents have wanted big-bin recycling for years, complaining that the current bins are too small and annoying to use. SPSA collects the small blue bins now but will end its recycling programs by early next year.
With the city running into another potential delay, Harrell said he made the decision to take about $2.7 million from the transportation lock box to help pay for the bins. Some council members were taken aback when they learned the source of the money.
"In order to stay somewhat close to the schedule we were on, the critical milestone was getting those bins in place," Harrell told the council.
Mike Saewitz, (757) 222-5207, mike.saewitz@pilotonline.com
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awe come on -- approve my post....
This story wasn't even 'visible' on pilotonline yesterday unless one selected news by city. These automated recycle bins just popped up out of nowhere and the story should be front and center. I'd like to know whose idea this is for the bins, also.
I DON'T WANT ONE!!!
We don't have the automated trash cans in some of our neighborhoods -- they're too big and people in townhomes leave them all over the streets and yards. Looks ghetto. now the city is going to FORCE these BIG UGLY BLUE things on us and CHARGE us? I don't recycle and never will. There are very, very few around me who do. I don't know *who* city council is saying will be very happy with this.
on the matter of money: just what else does our city manager do? He RAIDED the roads project 'lockbox'??? Whose money is that? This doesn't sit well with me at all. Taking money from much needed road projects and plopping into automated recycle bins we have to pay for and MANY do not want and will not use? What kind of city government does chesapeake have?? Just what the heck is going on while we're not looking?