Heeding the warning of “start small,” Iola Council members agreed to a phased approach to recycling Monday evening. Members discussed the potential of establishing a city-run recycling utility, agreeing it would be best to start small and gradually expand the initiative.
The ultimate vision includes weekly residential curb-side pick-up of recycling materials and would require a three-person crew for pick-up; two-person crew for sorting and baling. A monthly fee of $15 would be necessary to pay for the additional service.
A substantial portion of the proposed initial costs would be dedicated to the construction of a building modeled after Nemaha County’s recycling center. The projected initial infrastructure investment of $585,000 would go towards the sorting center, a truck, and baler. The utility would have a projected annual cost of nearly $384,000.
Council member Jon Wells expressed reservations about the financial feasibility of the project, citing the city’s current inability to fund the 54 Highway rebuild. He suggested the council explore grant opportunities before committing to a significant initial investment.
“There’s a lot more needs elsewhere in this community that we could spend that money on,” said Wells. “It could go towards two or three splash pads, essentially. I think we could do better for the community with that money.”
City Administrator Matt Rehder noted there currently isn’t a location where the material would go after baling, with the exception of cardboard and No. 9 plastics which would go to the Allen County landfill.
City administration recommended the council not establish the new utility but, if they do, recommended a year-long ramp up to establish working capital and to try to find a home for material.
The first step in this ramp-up would be to amend the solid waste fee to $30 per month, or add a line item to the monthly utility fee for recycling at $15.
COUNCIL member Joelle Shallah expressed concern about the potential impact on residents, particularly in terms of utility bill increases.
“I cannot even, in my own conscience, think to raise somebody’s utility bill $200 a year,” she said. She advocated for a county-led effort with city collaboration and proposed exploring drop-off containers as a starting point. Shallah emphasized the importance of researching and assessing the community’s response before moving forward. “All these other recycling facilities in surrounding communities are under water,” she added. “They’re struggling. Fredonia is another one — they had a program and they shut it down.”
Mayor Steve French provided insights into the county’s recycling efforts, highlighting the cautious approach they have adopted, starting with small-scale initiatives at the landfill. “County Commissioner David Lee visited different recycling places and the biggest warning he received was ‘start small,’” said French. “Don’t jump in as big as this, due to cost and overhead.” French mentioned that the county might still be open to collaboration, pending further discussions.
A SMALL group of volunteers currently oversees a recycling depository in the old Thompson Poultry plant on the east edge of town. Volunteer Karen Gilpin was on hand to give insight into what the current process is like. “We store our cardboard outside,” she said. “After we make the bales, it does not need to be stored inside. We put the baled plastic outside as well.”
Gilpin said once there is enough material to fill a trailer, it is transported to a facility in Oklahoma. She added that the bales sit outside for several months until there is enough to justify making the trip.
Council member Nich Lohman supported the proposed recycling plan, but suggested starting at a lower level. He favored the idea of the city being a leader in recycling, but stressed the need to coordinate with other organizations to share costs.
“There is a bit of irony that surrounding cities have dropped their recycling due to the cost of sustainability,” Lohman said. “I’m in favor of a drop-off. Our initial investment should be absolutely minimal and see where it goes, then we could decide whether to expand. Start small and coordinate with other organizations.”
