CHESAPEAKE, Va — The fight to bring back curbside recycling in Chesapeake is still raging almost two years after it was taken away.
When the city ended curbside recycling, drop off locations around Chesapeake were set up instead. However, Lacy Shirey, co-founder of Chesapeake Recycles, claims they are not doing what was intended and has taken videos to prove it.
“Our citizens are asked to sort their recycling into cardboard and mixed recycling," she said. "But then our GFL truck are coming and picking up all of those containers in one truck."
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Chesapeake ends curbside recycling program effective 'immediately'
Chesapeake Recycles also put GPS trackers in the bins to make sure the materials were going to the right place. Shirey said they had some that went to the Chesapeake Transfer Station, which is landfill.
As a result, Shirey and many other residents, want to bring curbside recycling back. She says the city has millions of dollars in excess funds funds to use. However, some members of local government, say that is not the case.
“Chesapeake does not put funds that are allocated for one time expenses, projects, things of that nature," said Council member Don Carey. "We do not put those funds towards, and we legally can’t, put those funds towards operational expenses."
Every member of local government News 3 reached out to say they are all in on bringing back a form of curbside recycling to the city. Their statements are below:
I opposed efforts from Chesapeake City Council in 2021 to eliminate our current recycling system instead of keeping it in place with an added fee to cover the costs. We could have reduced taxes and maintained curbside recycling until we implemented a better system. After council made that decision, we now have no funding source to re-implement curbside recycling and it would take more than a year to put into place. At this point, we have a better solution right around the corner with single bin waste/recycling. With traditional curbside recycling, only 5.6% of the overall waste in Chesapeake was recycled. The single bin solution our current Council is working towards is seeking to divert 60% of waste from the landfill. We are hopeful that this solution will be the way of the future for our community and our planet. - Chesapeake Mayor Rick West
Curbside recycling was a very popular program. We had the highest participation rate in the region. I would like to see affordable and efficient curbside recycling reinstated. -Council Member Debbie Ritter
The drop-off recycling sites have exceeded our initial expectations. We’ve recently added more containers to our most popular drop-off sites due to the high demand. We are also able to provide a cleaner recycling stream with much less contamination compared to what we saw in curbside recycling. As noted above, canceling the curbside recycling contract saved us $2 million.
Bringing back the older style curbside recycling would require one of the largest tax increases in the City’s history, including for residents that don’t want the service, and it would take a year to put back into place. Our focus right now is on accelerating the single bin solution.
SPSA and the City are working to bring a single bin waste/recycling service to our community as quickly as possible. With a single bin waste/recycling service, customers will be able to put all waste into one single curbside bin. Sorting will take place at the recycling facility and only trash will be disposed of in the landfill. In the last year of our old curbside recycling program, only 5.6% of the City's overall waste was recycled. The regional single bin solution that we’re advancing is seeking to divert 60% of waste from the landfill. It’s the smartest choice for our future, especially since our old system was so expensive and didn’t keep enough waste out of the landfill.
-Chesapeake City Manager's Office
Carey and West both agree that the program needs to be implemented in the right way. The city has come up with a single bin solution that they hope will divert 60% of the state waste from the landfill.
“Instead of having two separate services, it may have to be a single source," Carey said. "It could turn out to be better but it just takes time."
However, residents and some city council members like Amanda Newins, want change now. Newins told News 3 on a phone call that she asked city council to revert back to the old system while they look at this single bin solution.
Watch previous coverage: Chesapeake ends curbside recycling program effective 'immediately', was originally scheduled to end July 1
“The options that we are looking at if they do pan out and are a good option for us could take years, three to five years to come into play here," said Shirey, who agrees with Newins.
Shirey also says the single bin solution has failed in other areas like Montgomery, Alabama and Berkeley County, South Carolina. More than 1200 residents have signed the Chesapeake Recycles petition. If you would like to learn more about their efforts, click here.
