The Duncan Banner

Homepage

January 13, 2013

Proposed recycling agreement rewarding for all

Megan Bristow The Duncan Banner

DUNCAN — When the Power Shop chose to end their recycling services in May 2012, Duncan residents were left with no alternatives to dispose of their recyclable products.

After an expected contract signing between Waste Connections and the City of Duncan at 3:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall, that could change.

District 3 City Council Member Tommy Edwards has been working on a recycling program for Duncan as well as Marlow and Comanche that would give residents the option to participate in curbside recycling pickup.

“We have had a lot of citizens asking about it,” Edwards said. “We started looking into several years ago as a city council. We had some presentations given to us but then the Power Shop opened a recycling center. We backed off it as a city. In the last year, they closed theirs very abruptly. We started looking at it again.”

Edwards, the representative for the Duncan City Council and the Chairman of the South Central Oklahoma Ecological Association, is not asking city citizens to go any greener than he is willing to go himself. In fact, the closing of the recycling center at Duncan’s Power Shop could not even stop him from recycling.

“I believe so much in the recycling that my wife and I did it when the Power Shop had it,” he said. “We are continuing to do it in that we save our plastics and everything. We have a daughter and when we go see her, we take our recycling to Norman. We really do. That is how much I believe in it.

If the contract is signed Monday, Edwards said it would take about 120 days to see the program begin. Waste Connections will have to order both the new recycling carts that will be used plus the new recycling trucks.

“The way this works is the recycling cart will have a microchip in it,” he said. “The truck reads that microchip. You actually gain points from recycling that you put in a recycling bank. We are going to have local restaurants and businesses that will be participating. You can cash those points in towards purchases there. There are also national chains that participate. Once we get this going, we will have an education process where we will be able to tell everybody how this works.”

Although there will be an increase in fees for the additional cart, Edwards said most people will be able to keep the fee down by using less trash carts.

“There will be a fee for another cart but most people use two carts now,” he said. “They will find when they start recycling they can just go to one cart for their garbage and one cart for their recycling. You do not have to sort anything. You put glass and plastic and everything in the one cart. You are still back to two carts. Once everybody gets on board with it, they will not be spending any more than what they are currently spending. When they get so much in their recycle bank, they will pay for that extra cart. It is just a win-win situation for all three of the communities.”

Edwards believes the majority of citizens in Duncan, Marlow and Comanche will find the rewards of recycling to pay for the additional fees. The next step in this green initiative is to sign the contract that will allow the three cities to proceed with beginning recycling. Edwards expects the contract to be signed at 3:30 p.m. Monday at Duncan City Hall.

“We are going green,” he said. “It is going to help the community.”

Text Only
Local News
Features
Sports
Education
Opinion
  • Is it ‘coincidence’ the OCE has no teeth?

    Since I spend most of my working hours in offices in Duncan and Waurika, it’s nice both communities now have recycling programs so I can deposit the sticky notes that serve as my memory.

    May 19, 2013 1 Photo

  • Name new complex for Barnes

    Duncan High School’s new tennis complex, looking sharp in its blue and green U.S. Open color scheme, is drawing high praise for its quality and team impact.

    May 18, 2013 1 Photo

Special Deals
Facebook
The Duncan Banner on Facebook
Poll

Do you think Oklahoma does enough when it comes to tornado safety education?

Yes
No
Unsure
     View Results
AP Video
Mayor: Person Killed in San Antonio Flooding Raw: Apple 1 Computer Sells for More Than $650k Hagel Urges Cadets to End Scourge of Sex Assault Raw: Gay Rights Activists March in Ukraine Bus Fire Kills 16 Children, Teacher in Pakistan Raw: Pakistan Election Results Protested Raw: Trucker Bumps I-5 Bridge Before Collapse Raw: Texas Deputy Shot by Colo. Suspect Honored Major Detours Following Wash. Bridge Collapse American Held in Grisly Czech Murders Raw: Jersey Shore Reopens for Summer UK-bound Pakistan Plane Diverted, 2 Men Arrested Officials: Tsarnaev Friend Linked to Slaying Obama:Sexual Assault Threatens Trust in Military Bridge Collapse Survivor: 'Rough Day' Jersey Shore Open for Business Raw: Memorial Day Flags Placed at Arlington New Wheelchair Lift Promises More Access First Person: Mom Discusses Famous Tornado Photo Raw Video: Washington State Bridge Collapse