County recycling still causing controversy
Cache County’s universal recycling program is still dealing with mixed reviews from citizens and city officials months after it was implemented.
The recycling program, which was passed in the Cache County Council in April, will distribute a blue recycling can to every residential building in Cache County. Phase one of the program has already been implemented, which is placing blue cans in most of the towns in the county; phase two will start next spring and will cover the more rural areas of the county that have not yet received bins.
Logan Environmental Department Collection Coordinator Robert Jensen said, “The people have been quite favorable to the program. Especially people that have come from outside the valley; they wondered why it took so long to get a recycling program.”
But Providence Mayor Randy Simmons says that not everyone was happy about the arrival of universal recycling in Cache County.
“Last spring the Cache County Council imposed recycling on all cities at the request of Logan City,” Simmons said. “My three main problems with the situation are that it’s bad politics- because they forced things on us – it’s not necessarily a good economic deal for our citizens and it’s not necessarily a good environmental deal.”
The problem started, Simmons said, when the Cache County Council passed a resolution to begin a recycling program in the county without enough public discussion.
The new program affects the smaller cities and outlying rural areas around Logan because years ago, they contracted with the city of Logan to handle all garbage disposal, Jensen said, so now they are part of the recycling program because of the same contract.
Simmons said, “The council passed the resolution without consulting the mayors of any affected towns. There were no public hearings and no advanced warning.”
Logan Councilwoman Tami Pyfer said she agrees that not enough public dialogue had taken place, but said recycling had been talked about for years and was in the master plan of the city.
The smaller cities have the option of opting out of the garbage and recycling contract if they want to, Pyfer said, but they would have to create their own garbage disposal program.
Jamie Ericksen, public education aide for the Environmental Department, said the Logan landfill was receiving 46,000 tons of garbage every day.
Logan is contracting their recycling to the company Mountain Fibers, Jensen said, which recycles cardboard and some plastic and ships the other recyclables elsewhere.
–dilewis@cc.usu.edu