The City of Jacksonville is encouraging local residents to take advantage of recycling opportunities throughout the town.
Thanks in large part to a city-wide recycling study conducted by students and staff at Illinois College, Jacksonville aldermen voted to extend the city’s curbside recycling agreement with Area Disposal Service, Inc. last night.
Alderwoman Lori Large-Oldenettel says the council was given multiple options regarding the recycling program.
“We were given two option: to continue the program the way in which it currently operates, providing trash pick-up twice a month with the same cost to the city, which was $5,885 per month. The second option we were given was that we would agree to a five-year contract with 2.5 percent increases annually, but in exchange, each resident of Jacksonville that would like to participate in the curbside recycling program would be given a 95-gallon recycling cart,” says Large-Oldenettel.
Large-Oldenettel explains which option the city decided to go with and why.
“Based upon the work that the students at Illinois College, and the professors, did throughout the year, it was determined that individuals would be more likely to recycle if they had a recycling bin. In fact, nearly 74 percent of the respondents indicated that they would be more likely to recycle,” says Large-Oldenettel.
Large-Oldenettel breaks down the number of recyclers Jacksonville has right now, and how this agreement hopes to build on that number.
“Currently, there are approximately 1,800 households that participate in the curbside recycling program. We’d like to see that increased two-fold in my opinion, I’d love to see us closer to 2,500 or 3,000 people participating in curbside recycling. It’s good for the environment, it’s good for the community, it’s just a great way to re-use so many of the households things that we currently have,” Large-Oldenettel explains.
She also says that Area Disposal will start a communication program with those who already utilize the service, and hopefully reach out to other residents about how to get involved as well. Area’s communication campaign is likely to kick off in the month of August.