Curbside recycling is slowly becoming a reality across the Golden Triangle, but it”s taking shape in different ways.
While Starkville plans to bring recycling services to its citizens for free as a government function, in Columbus and West Point, a private company has the cities” blessings to offer the service for a fee.
Triangle Maintenance Service recently unveiled their plans to offer curbside recycling pick-up services to residents in Lowndes and Clay counties. Unlike the curbside recycling program scheduled to begin in Starkville in June, the local city and county governments are not involved in the TMS recycling effort.
“We”re trying to offer something into the market that right now our municipal government can”t do,” said TMS owner Scott Hannon. “It”s really that simple.”
TMS has been operating the large blue recycling bins in the city since 2007. The company won the $112,000 interlocal contract from the city and county again in October of last year; however, this new curbside plan will operate without any government involvement whatsoever.
Instead, people who choose to sign up for the service will be required to pay a $60 deposit for a 96-gallon blue container and an additional $7 a month to TMS.
Private endeavor
“It”s a private agreement between our facility and the homeowner,” said Hannon. “You could compare it with hiring a landscaper to come and cut your grass.”
David Armstrong, chief operating officer for the city of Columbus, confirmed the city has no involvement in the curbside program. But the city and county continue to pay Hannon”s company for operating the drop-off bins littered throughout the city.
“Assuming people participate, I think it”s a great thing,” said Armstrong, who lives in an apartment and does not generate enough trash to participate in curbside recycling. He uses drop-off bins for his recyclables. But, Armstrong, a supporter of recycling, said he would participate if he lived in a home.
“But (the city is) not at all involved. We aren”t in the waste management business, and we don”t have any plans to be,” he noted.
An interlocal agreement between the city and the county pays TMS $112,000 to operate the 17 free recycling drop-off boxes peppered throughout the city and county. The original agreement in the bid won by TMS for the service only required the upkeep of five boxes, but 12 more were placed due to high demand.
Front-end investment
The $7 monthly fee for the curbside service, Hannon said, will cover the cost of transporting the material from people”s homes to the TMS facility located near the Macon-Meridian Exit on Highway 82.
“The thing people don”t understand about recycling is, they think we can live off that wood or that paper off the back end. It”s simply not true,” said Hannon. “We have $1 million worth of capital and equipment it takes to process this stuff properly. Well, at $7, it”s going to take a long time to cover that investment. We are a for-profit business. We”re going to try to make something out of this.”
Branching out
Hannon also is branching out into West Point and Clay County. The West Point Board of Selectmen recently approved allowing Hannon to place a free drop-off bin in the city. TMS also is offering curbside service to the citizens of West Point, under the same terms offered in Columbus and Lowndes County.
“We certainly don”t have a problem with what they are doing, and it sure beats trying to run the program ourselves,” said West Point Chief Administrative Officer Randy Jones. “I”ve heard nothing but good things about what they”re doing in Columbus and Lowndes County. It will cost the city nothing at all.”
TMS also will soon place a recycling drop-off box in Reform, Ala.
Government-funded curbside pickup
While TMS has two corners of the Golden Triangle under its green thumb, the city of Starkville soon will implement a program offering curbside recycling service to its citizens via a government agreement.
Furthermore, according to Starkville CAO Lynn Spruill, the curbside recycling effort won”t cost the city”s taxpayers any additional money. The city entered into an agreement to use its own garbage trucks to transport recyclable products to Starkville Recycling.
“We don”t pay them anything, but hopefully they will be getting compensation from the recycling they sell,” said Spruill.
Starkville Recycling has been picking up recycling from the Plantation Homes neighborhood since November 2008, as part of a pilot curbside recycling program.
Show me the money
Hannon plans to continue the curbside program even if it is not immediately profitable; he also plans to continue the company”s other recycling efforts.
“Sure, I think it”s a great thing for the community and a great thing for the environment. But if someone is going to make a dollar at this, we”d like to give it a shot,” he said. “We want to make sure everyone has a chance to participate. We”re not going to discontinue the voluntary drop-off boxes,” he said. “When that comes back up for bid, we are going to bid on it.”
Curbside recycling in Mississippi is also offered in the cities of Biloxi, Clinton, D”Iberville, Gulfport, Long Beach, Oxford, Tupelo, Ocean Springs, Jackson, Madison, Meridian, Pass Christian, Quitman and Ridgeland.
TMS will begin picking up curbside recycling May 1. For more information, contact TMS at 662-245-1555.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
