It’s been about a month since the City of Chesapeake terminated its curbside recycling contract. Community members now have the option of subscribing to a vendor that offers subscription services or taking them to be recycled at one of 7 sites set up by the city. “There are so many places for recycling that it’s not even an inconvenience. It’s for our future, it’s for our planet,” said Chesapeake resident Anna Ord.
Public Works Director Earl Sorey says they have been monitoring the situation and adjusting.“When we first announced it, some people said, ‘Oh, it’s never going to be used.’ Well, we used a significant amount in the first two weeks. So far we have collected over 60,000 pounds of recyclables,” said Sori.
So he says they’re expanding and adding more containers to keep up with demand at multiple drop-off locations. Earlier this week, they were doing construction at a site off Cedar Road. Ord says that’s good news. “That would be great because we’ve been in a couple of times on the weekend and it’s usually packed,” Ord explained. Another community member, JoAnn Erwin, says she’s doing the right thing, but that doesn’t mean she likes it. “I really wish we still had it because it’s so much easier. It’s become so hard to throw things away… I do it because I want to continue recycling and not throw it in the landfill,” Erwin said.