County recycling district OKs rewards plan

The Pulaski County recycling district's board on Wednesday selected a new recycling rewards program for county residents at the cost of 12 percent of its budget despite one board member's opposition to having a new rewards program at all.

The Regional Recycling and Waste Reduction District, a state agency that covers just Pulaski County, had been looking for a new rewards program since canceling a program in August that had operated for 21/2 years.

The mayors of the county's five largest cities and the Pulaski County judge constitute the district's board, which approved the Cranford Co.'s proposal at the cost of $149,800.

The vote was 4-1, with North Little Rock Mayor Joe Smith voting against the expenditure. Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde, chairman of the board, did not vote because he is allowed to do so only in a tie-breaking situation.

The district budgeted up to $150,000 per year for the new program, while the one dumped in August -- called Recyclebank -- cost $134,063 per year. The district's budget is about $1.3 million in fiscal 2015.

At Wednesday morning's meeting, Smith said he'd rather see the money spent on recycling in schools than on rewards.

"I think it's money wasted," he said.

Others said Little Rock, North Little Rock and Sherwood residents had been promised a rewards program in 2012 when the district, those three cities and Waste Management entered into a new contract for curbside recycling that included the Recyclebank program.

"I thought we owe it to our residents," Sherwood Mayor Virginia Hillman Young said. "I feel like we've got to stay with it."

The district never paid for the first two years of Recyclebank and paid only $43,000 for 41/2 months of operation in 2014. Last year's expenditure was set to supplant a $135,000-per-year expenditure for six recycling drop-off sites in the county.

The board dropped Recyclebank after never getting more than 20.8 percent participation in the incentives program. About 92,000 customers were eligible.

The curbside recycling participation rate was 75 percent in 2014 -- considered "very high" on a national level. However, there was an 80 percent participation rate in 2013.

The contract with Cranford Co. is for one year, with the ability to renew for three years afterward. The terms and expenditures can be tailored along the way to meet the board's desires, district officials said Wednesday.

Some board members mentioned they wanted a hybrid program of both rewards and education about recycling, particularly in schools, which they said the Cranford Co. proposal did.

"This is going to be more of a recycling-awareness program than it is trying to recruit recyclers," district Deputy Director Carol Bevis said.

"I think that when we get the contract developed and everyone see how far we get into schools and the county, people will be pleased with it," Bevis added.

Cranford Co.'s proposal includes getting the three school districts in Pulaski County to participate in recycling campaigns. Additionally, it allows anyone to register online and report that he has recycled in exchange for a chance to earn rewards and win prizes.

The proposal also includes $93,800 in advertising purchases, which Maumelle Mayor Mike Watson said he would like to see shrink.

The district received proposals from Little Rock-based businesses J. Kelly Referrals, Cranford Co. and First Class Communications; Smithfield, Va.-based Recycling Perks; and Davison, Mich.-based Rewards for Recycling. The companies estimated spending between $149,000 to $169,000 in first-year expenses.

Curbside recycling rates vary nationally. Cities such as Indianapolis and Buffalo, N.Y., have rates lower than 20 percent for curbside recycling participation, according to the Indianapolis Star and the Buffalo-based Investigative Post. Columbus, Ohio, is at 70 percent, the Star reported. Officials in Savannah, Ga., estimate 35 percent to 40 percent participation, according to the Savannah Morning News.

Brenda Pulley, senior vice president of Recycling for Keep America Beautiful, said the cities' curbside recycling participation rate was "very high" compared with her knowledge of programs in other cities, considering that the program requires an opt-in from residents to pay for recycling services.

"We do not have a lot of data on participation rates," Pulley said, adding, "Anecdotally, that's fairly high."

Metro on 01/22/2015

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