Hauler sees $$ in recycling change

Richard Rychtarik, Las Vegas

Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011 | 2:01 a.m.

Warning, warning: It is not really about the recycling container, it’s all about the money. Multi-bin, single-stream recycling has existed in Clark County for a long time. Single recycling containers are the new concept. Given the service changes proposed by waste hauler Republic Services, it’s clear that Republic is the real beneficiary, not its customers.

Republic customers who recycle today simply receive a replacement container and nothing else. These customers will lose 52 garbage pickups every year. The 70 percent (Republic’s data) who will never recycle when given a new bin will have their garbage collection reduced from four times to two times every two weeks. You can’t count the loss of their current recycling pickup because they didn’t do it anyway. The garbage pickup reduction is a reality for everyone.

This assumes that the 70 percent who don’t recycle won’t decide to use their new recycling bin for garbage. If so, then it’s back up to four garbage pickups for them but still one short of the five combined trash trips everyone gets every two weeks under the current long-term contract.

There is money in trash, especially if the trash contains metals. All Republic needs to do is give everyone that shiny new container then 30 percent, not 3 percent, (Republic’s data) of their customers will recycle. Republic needs to stop the obfuscation. It thinks it has found a great way to get out of a long-term contract that benefits customers while making even more money. It’s really about the money, and it’s as simple as that.