New trucks won’t be the only change when Republic Services takes over residential curbside waste hauling for Battle Creek on April 1. To continue recycling with Republic, residents are being asked to opt-in to the service prior to the transition to prevent interruptions. Recycling contamination has been a problem in Battle Creek since last March, resulting in materials being rerouted directly to the landfill and extra fees for the city.
The city has been working with residents and Waste Management to improve recycling practices, but with the start of a new contract, staff saw an opportunity to cut down on contamination by letting people choose whether they wanted to recycle, Environmental and Storm Service Manager Patty Hoch-Melluish said. “We’re starting fresh and getting those folks that really want to recycle and recycle well in the recycling program,” Hoch-Melluish said. “We really need to clean up the recycling stream, and this is a great way to do that.”
Once those who want to recycle have opted-in, Hoch Melluish said the city will build on the program to get more people involved. Residents who opt-in will receive a recylcing cart from Republic at no extra cost. People who chose not to sign up for curbside recycling will still be able to recycle at C&C Landfill in Marshall or at the recycling center in Kalamazoo on Gembrit Circle. Each load of recycling will cost $3 to drop off.