CLEARWATER, Fla. — On Monday, Clearwater city leaders discussed their recent recycling issues and credits or refunds to customers.
“We want to do what we can to earn back their trust,” said Jeffrey Kuhl, the City’s Division Controller for Solid Waste.
Back in January, ABC Action News reportedhow the city learned they had not been properly processing recyclables.
On Monday, Clearwater Solid Waste staff shared a potential long-term recycling contract option with City Council. The city said they’ve been negotiating a contract with Waste Connections of St. Pete, and if approved, the city would pay $120 per ton of recycling and get some revenue sharing for their recyclables.
A vote is expected at the City Council meeting Thursday, Aug. 17.
“We’re recommending a refund to the residential customers,” said Kuhl.
Credits or refunds to customers were also on the agenda Monday after finding that recycling hadn’t been properly processed from July to December last year.
Kuhl explained what residents should expect.
“Effective October 1, that’s what we’re planning on, is having that rate set to zero for six months, so it equates to approximately $21 of their bill,” said Kuhl. “People don’t realize that the recycling is about 10% of their bill, so it’s not going to be a financial windfall or anything like that, but for those six months, October through approximately March, that’s when they would see that.”
The City of Clearwater said since February, the city has collected anywhere from 620 to about 870 tons per month of recycling from residents and delivered it to their recycling processor, Waste Connections in St. Petersburg, where it has been accepted and processed as recycling.
