After reading “City Recycling Center Could be Shut Down,” I am writing to offer a suggestion to cover Casella’s increased cost to the city of Vergennes to collect and haul recyclables. I use the Vergennes recycling and trash drop off because it saves me significant costs for waste disposal and recycling. I am a 30-year Ferrisburgh resident who used Casella as my trash hauler for many years until I discovered the Vergennes recycling center. Casella bi-weekly service costs $34/month or $408 per year in Ferrisburgh. At the Vergennes center, I pay an average of $4 every two weeks to drop off trash and the recycling has been free. This is a savings of $304 a year.
I, for one, would have no objection to paying a reasonable user’s fee to drop off my recycling, just as I do for trash. I would certainly prefer a reasonable fee as an alternative to having to once again pay for curbside pickup. A user’s fee would also address the “equity issue” mentioned in the article of households and businesses who choose not to use the center paying double for recycling through both taxes and curbside pickup bills. The article claims that the fee will increase by $34,600. From other information in the article, I estimate that about 1,100 families in the 5-town area use the center. Assuming they drop off recycling once a month, a fee of $3.00 would more than cover the increase. If the fee is based on bi-weekly drop off, it could be $1.50.
Richard Kerschner
Ferrisburgh