Tons of recyclables have been piling up at the landfill and will be sorted when TDS opens its new recycling center this month.
by SEAN KIMMONS
Kyle city officials are in negotiations with Texas Disposal Systems to develop a city-wide recycling program, which would redirect tons of rubbish from the landfill and generate revenue for the city.
Since September 2009, roughly 800 homes in Amberwood and Indian Paintbrush subdivisions have participated in a three-cart pilot program, diverting hundreds of tons of recyclables and compost materials from the Creedmoor landfill owned by TDS, a local waste disposal company with a strong environmental track record.
In the program, each household is given three 96-gallon bins for trash, recyclables and compost materials. If the program goes city-wide, it would add about $4 to a household’s monthly garbage bill.
TDS officials claim that if the city added a five-year commercial franchise to the deal, making them responsible for trash pickup for local businesses, residents will save an estimated 94 cents per month.
If TDS serviced all accounts in the city, commercial rates would also reduce on average by 10 percent. The city could then use those extra funds, estimated at $50,000 per year, to help offset the cost of street repairs, said Rick Fraumann, TDS director of sales and customer care.
“We can increase the recycling options for the city and also offer an exclusive commercial element to increase recycling options for businesses and generate a revenue source for the city,” Fraumann told the council in August.
Fraumann also touted the idea that if his company serviced the entire city there would be fewer trucks on the road caused by using multiple providers. TDS already handles about 70 percent of the city.
Some estimates show Kyle’s population spiking to 90,000 by the year 2040. With rapid growth, councilmembers say recycling is essential to keep the strain off the local landfill, which currently handles 12,000 tons of trash a week.
“I feel that recycling has become a service that Kyle residents expect,” Mayor Lucy Johnson said.
She looks forward to the larger, covered bins instead of the small 18-gallon recycling bin outside her home, which occasionally blows away along with its contents, she said.
However, the extra cost and space that the three-cart service would entail could be a burden to some.
“I don’t think it should be forced on people,” Kyle resident Jerry Kolacny said during public comments.
Councilmember Jaime Sanchez agreed: “I can’t see myself imposing the cost in this recession to people who can’t afford it.”
Fraumann said that TDS plans to spend seven figures to roll out the program city-wide for new trucks, bins and employees.
Recyclables would be sorted through a new 100,000-square-foot recycling center slated to open this month at the 1,750-acre landfill site. The new recycling center will handle 20 tons of recyclables per hour and bring in 100 new jobs, Fraumann said.
Although the program costs more, he believes there’s value to it. The shorter a landfill’s lifespan, the more it will cost residents in the future.
“Over the long term, it’s the less expensive way to go,” he said.
