Recycling redux

f1416d01-f31e-48a9-b01d-7bd4f3fd4d2c_300_399Submitted by Suanne Z. Thamm
Reporter – News Analyst
March 4, 2016 2:00 a.m.

 

Toward the end of the March 1, 2016 meeting of the Fernandina Beach City Commission (FBCC), Commissioner Len Kreger moved to direct the city to reopen the recycling center at an appropriate site by April 22, Earth Day. Kreger, who has headed up Keep Nassau Beautiful until this spring, has long advocated public and private recycling efforts. He has participated in many community cleanups and actively works in support of environmental causes. When no other commissioner seemed to support the motion, Mayor Johnny Miller stepped down to second the motion.

After 40 minutes of discussion and public input, the motion failed on a 2-3 vote.  The FBCC directed the City Manager to explore a more comprehensive strategy for city recycling issues.

Problems at the now closed recycle center
Problems at the now closed recycle center

While the city offers curbside recycling to its residents, the recent closure of the recycling center off Lime Street due to improper dumping has apparently disadvantaged businesses and others who regularly recycled large quantities of material at the site.

Other commissioners did not support the motion. Commissioner Tim Poynter reminded commissioners why the city closed its site, saying that no one has convinced him that the same problems involving illegal dumping would not recur if the site were reopened. “Every time I visited the site,” Poynter said, “despite signs telling people not to dump their garbage here, there was so much garbage all over the site. People would just drive in, throw their garbage and drive off. So we should have city staff going out there every day to clean up that mess? A gate won’t work, because people just throw stuff over the gate.”

Poynter spoke to the problems of illegal dumping when the city maintained a recycle dumpster downtown as well. “It’s unfortunate that a handful of bad apples does this sort of thing, but you are going to be challenging the city to have staff every day stationed there to clean it up, because people are not being respectful of it.”

The problems of downtown trash, dumpsters, and recycling make regular appearances on FBCC agendas.
The problems of downtown trash, dumpsters, and recycling make regular appearances on FBCC agendas.

Kreger spoke to grants received in 2010 to conduct recycling. He said that the county is going to be required by law to maintain a recycling center, but that the city seems to be content to say that residential recycling is sufficient. “It’s an embarrassment that we don’t have [a recycling center], and while I didn’t put it in the motion, we don’t have recycling on Centre Street or at the beach. There’s trash all over.” Kreger said he hoped the city could use some initiative to get around the problems encountered previously. “I cannot believe that we can’t come up with something to serve our people and the tourists and further improve the image of our city.”

robinVice Mayor Robin Lentz told Kreger that she understood where he was coming from. “But when you brought up the 2010 grant from Anheuser Busch, at that time we did not have the extensive curbside recycling that we do today,” she said. “I am an avid recycler. I generate more recycle trash than regular trash.” Lentz added that she supported recycling downtown but asked that commissioners hold off on directing staff to do anything until commissioners can tour the recycle site in Jacksonville in two weeks. “I definitely don’t support reopening the city recycling center. Why would we be encouraging people to drive in their cars, producing more air emissions, when they can [recycle] at their own curbside?”

kregerKreger was not deterred. He cited calls from the Sierra Club, the Chamber of Commerce and others calling for the city to reopen its recycling site. “Sometimes there’s a right thing to do. It’s the commission’s choice, I won’t get upset with it, but I think it’s ludicrous that we are taking this position in today’s age.”

smithCommissioner Roy Smith said that the city can’t force people to do the right thing. He also suggested that most of the people who used the now closed site were probably county residents, due to the site’s location. “People were just taking advantage of the situation,” he said. “We have recycling cans at our houses. We have them along the docks.”

In response to questions raised by both Smith and Poynter, Kreger said he would not reopen the recycling center in the same spot. He would look toward staff to come up with better alternatives, suggesting that perhaps behind the fire stations would work better because staff is present all the time. “I liken [abandoning the recycle center] to saying, ‘if it’s hard, we can’t do it,” he said. “Let’s set the example.”

Lentz asked Kreger, “How are we not already providing this service if people can recycle at their houses? Len, I think you are bringing up two separate issues: should we have this site? And how do we institute recycling downtown and in high traffic areas? I agree with addressing the issue downtown.”

timPoynter said, “Just to be clear, if a business wants to spend the money to recycle downtown, you can do that. I spend the money to recycle downtown. I am fortunate that our businesses actually have places to put the recycle cans.” He said that space is a problem for many downtown business owners. “If you are asking for a consensus from the commission to investigate other things, that’s one thing. But I won’t support the current motion that calls to open a recycle center by April 22.”

Smith reminded Kreger that when the issue initially came up, the consensus of the commission was to close the recycle center. “So you effectively voted to close it,” Smith said. Kreger replied, “Listen, you see what I did. I just made a motion and I got a second. What happened with the consensus is irrelevant. I’m trying to bring it back.”

Several audience members advocated more recycling receptacles in heavily trafficked areas such as the Centre Street business area and the beaches as well as reopening a large recycle site somewhere in the city.

Julie Ferreira
Julie Ferreira

Julie Ferreira, representing the Sierra Club, said that her organization had sent a letter to the city manager volunteering to help monitor the recycle site when they learned it might be closed. She suggested that a fence and a camera might help solve the illegal dumping problem.

 

 

 

 

Angela Ray
Angela Ray

Angela Ray, a city employee, said she would have cleaned up the recycle site herself if she had known the site was going to be closed. Now, she claimed, the city has no place to recycle cardboard. She cited large recycling amounts generated by sporting events and other city-sponsored special events. She advocated a position for city recycling coordinator who would work with volunteers.

Robert Long spoke about proactive communities leading by example. “Sustain the earth,” he said. “It’s that simple.” Philip Chapman also spoke. He said that people must want the product made from recycled materials. He asked if the city uses recycled paper. He also spoke to the problems of downtown merchants placing cardboard in the gutters.

millerMayor Miller spoke in support of Kreger’s motion, claiming that many people did not know there was a problem until the recycle center was closed. “We’re better than that,” he said. Miller said he didn’t care if non-city residents were using the recycling center, believing that the most important fact was that they were recycling. “We’re really good about inviting people to come to our community, but we are really bad about cleaning up after them,” he said. He supported the idea of a recycling coordinator. “I think it’s an embarrassment that we don’t have a recycling center,” he said.

Only Kreger and Miller supported the motion, which failed on a 2-3 vote.

Following the vote, Poynter said that he was absolutely in favor of directing the city manager to look for opportunities to establish a recycling center and to determine how and where it would work. He did not think cameras were a good option because of the time it would take to review hours of footage in an attempt to find violators. “If we can find a place to do that, I’m willing to consider it,” he said, “But we have had no discussion of any of that. We need to know what we are doing before we move forward on that.”

It was the consensus of the commission that the city manager work toward developing a comprehensive strategy toward city recycling efforts.

Vice Mayor Lentz said she agreed with Poynter’s position and emphasized that she did not want to make any decisions until the commissioners had an opportunity to visit the Republic recycle site in Jacksonville and find out what types of options might be available.

City Manager Dale Martin said that said that he strongly encourages all commissioners to take the recycle tour to clarify many issues including cost and history. He said that when Advanced Disposal started curbside recycling, they were collecting $10 per ton, which was divided, between Advanced and the city. Martin said, “They have just been notified by Republic that they will have to spend $67 to recycle a ton.   There is talk of a $27 rebate, but right now it is actually costing Advanced $40 to take a ton of recycle material to the site. The tour will provide commissioners with a good foundation on how to go forward in town and on the beaches, the Rec center, and any other place you want to do it.”

Poynter added, “But there is a cost associated with it.” Martin agreed. Kreger acknowledged that the cost is a significant factor. “We’re not talking economics,” he said. “We’re talking about doing the right thing.”

Suanne Thamm 4Editor’s Note: Suanne Z. Thamm is a native of Chautauqua County, NY, who moved to Fernandina Beach from Alexandria,VA, in 1994. As a long time city resident and city watcher, she provides interesting insight into the many issues that impact our city. We are grateful for Suanne’s many contributions to the Fernandina Observer.

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Dave Lott
Dave Lott(@dave-l)
8 years ago

Sorry Len, but the economics always is a major factor. It will be interesting to see the information learned from the Atlantic recycling facility tour. Here is an interesting essay on the pros and cons of recycling: http://www.english.umd.edu/interpolations/2601
The City is far ahead of other communities (including the County) with its curbside recycling program and it is sad that it is not used by residents more. You go visit any free-standing recycle center on a Monday morning and it is a mess where people have dumped off their trash, often containing items that aren’t supposed to be dropped of (i.e. electronics, paint, etc.). Even if gated, the trash is often left just outside the gate.
A difficult issue for sure.