Western Recycling to begin offering curbside service Aug. 6 to Idaho Falls, Ammon

Western Recycling will begin offering curbside recycling to Idaho Falls and Ammon residents starting Aug. 6.

The cost will be $5 a month for homes and $10 for businesses, with billing conducted quarterly. The cost includes a 65- or 95-gallon container (customer's choice). Pickup will be every two weeks on the same days as regular trash pickup. Containers must be placed at least four feet away from other trash containers.

“I think (curbside recycling) is something that the people in Idaho Falls have been wanting to do,” said Craig Stephenson, Western Recycling's manager.

Idaho Falls residents can currently drop off their recycling at sites located throughout the city. The materials get picked up by a truck operated by Idaho Falls. Western Recycling’s management hopes that once curbside recycling catches on, these sites will be phased out, ultimately saving the city money.

With the Western Recycling program, no sorting is necessary. Here's what can be placed in the container:

• Mixed paper products: newspapers, magazines, phone books, catalogs, cardboard boxes, cereal Boxes, frozen food boxes, paper towel cores, office paper, note pads, index cards, coated paper, brochures, envelopes, manila folders and junk mail.
• All plastic beverage, food, and household cleaner containers #1-7 (must be rinsed of contents and caps replaced).
• Tin and aluminum cans (must be rinsed of contents).

Materials that can't be recycled include glass, plastic bags, medical waste, food waste, packaging materials (peanuts, bubble wrap, styrofoam, etc.)

Neighborhoods outside of city limits will be included in the program case by case, depending on participation levels and distance from city limits.

You can sign up by visiting Western Recycling's Web site, http://www.westernrecycling.net/, or by calling 1-888-977-4733.

This is the second big recycling story in the region. Earlier this month, after a two-month trial period in two neighborhoods, the Rexburg City Council approved moving forward with a city-wide curbside recycling program. The city plans to spend about $170,000 to buy a baler and household containers. The program will expand city-wide after the equipment arrives.

Under a cooperative agreement, Brigham Young University-Idaho students will sort and transport collected recyclables. Revenues generated through the sale of those products will be used to hire student workers and pay transportation costs.

During a two month test period, BYU-Idaho project manager Eric Conrad reported 23 percent to 25 percent participation in a trial area. The program's initial goal is 30 percent overall participation. He estimates recycling will save the city $90,000 per year by keeping recyclables out of Rexburg's overall waste cycle.