Chattanooga Changes Curbside Recycling Program

The city of Chattanooga’s City Council has decided to keep its curbside recycling program, although the city will be making changes.

Initially, Chattanooga’s Mayor Ron Littlefield had announced plans to terminate the curbside recycling program due to the lack of participation and the need to cut money from the city’s budget.

However, complaints and opposition from recycling advocates in the city resulted in the city revisiting their initial decision.

Under the revamped curbside program the city of Chattanooga will provide city residents with curbside collection programs, although collections will be held once a month, compared to the weekly collection program the city previously had.

Chattanooga Councilman Manuel Rico, who is chair of the Council’s Public Works, Codes and Standards Committee, says that the new program will begin Nov. 1, 2006. Along with the shift to a once-a-month program the city will blitz residents with educational material to boost the overall recyclables recovery rate.

Rico says that the mayor was able to find $100,000 to help publicize the recycling program.

Despite moving from once a week to once a month, Rico says that any savings will be only minimal. However, he did note that if the recovery rates improved the city would consider increasing the curbside collection programs to more than once a month.