A recycling drop-off location near the Camp Verde public schools complex will be saved after the Camp Verde Town Council voted last week to extend a deal with a Sedona nonprofit.
The town had been paying Sedona Recycles $600 a month for recyclable material bins on Apache Trail, near the town-owned Heritage Swimming Pool.
Since those bins were set up, however, the company has also set up bins on private property at the Outpost Mall on Finnie Flat Road.
Those bins, on a main thoroughfare through town, have seen much more use than the bins on Apache Trail.
But the bins near the schools still see a lot of use, several tons of recyclables a year, and Sedona Recycles Executive Director Jill McCutcheon said she hopes even more people will start to drop off their recyclables there in the future.
Earlier this month, the Town Council voted 4-3 not to renew the $600 a month contract with Sedona Recycles. Some council members felt the one site on Finnie Flat Road could possibly accommodate the recycling needs of the town’s residents.
Council asked new Town Manager Russ Martin to talk with McCutcheon and see if an alternative plan could be reached, one that wouldn’t cost the town as much money but would leave something in place for the convenience of residents who regularly use the Apache Trail bins.
The nonprofit came up with a couple of ideas, but ultimately the town decided on a plan to keep the bins where they are and to pay Sedona Recycles around $15 per bin per pickup; a trailer owned by the town used to separate glass will be picked up for $60 a visit.
Altogether, the town estimates this plan will cost around $387 a month, or $4,650 for the year, based on the amount of recyclables collected at the site over the past six months.
Martin said that’s less than what the town had budgeted this year for recycling costs.
Still, that number could eventually go up, if the site sees expanded use as McCutcheon predicts.
By keeping the site open, McCutcheon said the amount of material recycled on Apache Trail saves nearly 1,000 trees, more than 260 barrels of oil, 4,000 gallons of water and 14 tons of sand by keeping trash out of a landfill.
“We’re very passionate about recycling,” McCutcheon said. “It’s important for us to stay in Camp Verde.”
Councilwoman Jackie Baker said she’s never been “crazy about the site at Heritage Pool,” but she appreciates the effort Sedona Recycles has put into keeping the area neat and organized.
The council voted unanimously to approve this revised recycling agreement; the deal will be in effect for one year.
