The newly-signed Cottonwood County recycling contract with Hometown Sanitation drew criticism at Wednesday’s Cottonwood County Commissioners meeting.
The contract calls for each residence and business in the county to receive a 65-gallon bin. Businesses that need larger services for recycling will end up paying more for additional carts.
Westbrook Mayor Dennis Phelps stated that previous recycling provider, Waste Management, had provided additional bins to numerous businesses for free, adding that providing those businesses with a single bin will lead to either more recyclable material being thrown in the trash, or city recycling sheds to be filled up more quickly.
Solid Waste Officer Kyle Pillatzki stated that the county was unaware of free services being provided by Waste Management, and those services were not included in the bid submitted by Waste Management for the county’s recycling program.
“Ultimately, businesses that use additional services will be getting charged for what they should have been getting charged for years ago, whether they use additional recycling services or through additional trash hauling.”
