Aiken’s recycling has been sent to North Augusta for over a month now – a change for the city of Aiken that means a longer drive and a new set of fees, but no change in how its residents recycle. The recent resurrection of the relationship between the cities and their recycling programs is the newest change in a handful that have happened, including the end of North Augusta’s blue bag program and an increased revenue to North Augusta from increased tipping fees and a slightly higher commodities value.
Last month, the city of Aiken began sending residential recycling to North Augusta’s Materials Recovery Facility for processing. The Materials Recovery Facility uses machinery and staff members to sort recyclables from other garbage. Aiken is only sending its commingled recyclables to North Augusta, not solid waste, said Jason Sikes, superintendent of sanitation in North Augusta.
Aiken now pays the $48-per-ton tipping fee that all commercial customers pay North Augusta. North Augusta will process the materials and retain the revenue from any recyclables. “I think Aiken made a good choice coming back to North Augusta,” said James Sutton, director of North Augusta’s Public Services department. “We’ve had a good relationship with them in the past; and it didn’t work out with their prior vendor, so we’re going to try to do the best service we can.”