Curbside recycling begins next month

IRONWOOD - Eagle Waste's new recycling service for Ironwood customers begins next month.

Jim Whittinghill, of the Eagle River, Wis., company, on Wednesday morning said people who now receive curbside service will also receive 96-gallon containers with yellow lids for recyclables such as papers, plastic, cardboard, glass and other items explained in information sheets supplied to customers.

"They'll be able to co-mingle the recyclable items," he said.

The items should be placed loose in the recyclable containers and not in plastic bags. Paper bags are acceptable and shredded paper must be enclosed in clear plastic bags only.

There will be every other week pick-up of recycled items, beginning Sept. 11 or Sept. 18, depending on the location of the city residence.

City utilities director Robert Tervonen said the recycling containers will be picked up every other Friday, with the city split in half for collection purposes. Curbside refuse is picked up on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

Tervonen said many of the recycling bins have been delivered in advance and he noticed them in the Jessieville area on Tuesday.

Whittinghill said the recyclable containers will be placed out on the same schedule as the garbage containers, so there will be no added inconvenience for the customers.

As he told the Ironwood City Commission earlier this year, Whittinghill said Wednesday, "It will make Ironwood's garbage services as good as any found anywhere in the country. "

This summer, the city commission extended the garbage contract with Eagle Waste for two additional years, making it a four-year commitment in total, with the recycling service added as of Sept. 1.

The four recycling Dumpsters throughout the city will be removed when the new service is fully operational.

The curbside collection charge increased $1.58 to the city for the 2015-'16 fiscal year and will remain unchanged for the 2016-'17 fiscal year.

As part of the agreement, an additional rate increase of $2 for recycling will be applied to the 2017-'18 fiscal year and then there will be no increase again for the 2018-'19 fiscal year.

Commissioners previously said they were very pleased with Eagle Waste's performance, as reflected in the four-year commitment.

There are around 2,700 garbage customers in Ironwood.

Whittinghill said he expects city residents to recycle at least 50 percent of their refuse. "With two containers side by side, why not recycle?" he asked.

Among the items that can't be recycled are light bulbs, dishes, Styrofoam, syringes and oil bottles, to name a few.

Lids and caps should be removed from bottles and cans should be rinsed clean.

The refuse contract is less than the $13 per month per customer paid under the previous garbage collection deal.