North Salt Lake » Although Tuesday's meeting was the first time the city council has discussed a possible curbside recycling program, it's already on the minds of at least two residents.
A North Salt Lake couple pre-empted any public hearings and let city officials know they don't want to be forced into a recycling program.
"To me, it's more of a luxury item," said Devan Thorne, after his wife told the council that mandating residents to pay an extra fee to recycle isn't government's proper role. "It's not something I need to survive, to progress as a person, to progress as a community."
Mayor Shanna Schaefermeyer echoed her opposition to mandatory participation and some council members said an opt-in or opt-out program could be more appropriate considering the controversies that have arisen in other cities.
Bountiful's mandatory program might have seen some initial resistance, said Michael Nielsen, a Bountiful resident and North Salt Lake's city attorney. But ultimately, he said, people like himself who were initially irritated grew to enjoy the program.
"It's been very easy ... I think, at first, it's a shock to people," Nielsen said.
Bountiful and Woods Cross have mandatory programs; Centerville has an opt-out service.
Convincing people to recycle is an education effort, said Greg Walkenhorst, of Waste Management, which has recently pitched its curbside service to North Salt Lake, as has ACE Disposal.
He added separating recyclables from other garbage is compatible with the other recycling efforts at the regional landfill: the burn plant converts waste into energy then sells it to Hill Air Force Base.
"They're landfilling a lot of it," Walkenhorst said of the roughly 50 percent of garbage that doesn't go into the waste-to-energy system. Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District, which is separate from Walkenhorst's company, runs the landfill.
The city staff estimates that at its cheapest -- if North Salt Lake were to require recycling -- the price would be about $3.30 for biweekly pickups each month.
An optional program with 70 percent of the city participating could cost $3.70.
Council members said the recycling can is cheaper than having a second garbage can, and about a third of residents pay $8.50 for an extra container.
The City Council asked NSL's staff to gather information from other cities that have curbside recycling programs to better study the differences in optional and mandatory plans.
Council members want to have at least two public hearings on the topic, with the first scheduled for their July 21 meeting at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 20 S. Highway 89.
