Kentucky city seeks to resume paper recycling

Lexington issues RFP after suspending paper recycling in May.


Lexington, Kentucky, has issued a request for proposals (RFP) to businesses to reestablish its mixed residential paper recycling program. The city is seeking a business to process and market the material, according to the RFP.

“We’ve done our homework and put together a request for proposals that will provide Lexington with a sound paper recycling operation,” Mayor Linda Gorton says. “We’ve found that traditional options are no longer available. It has taken time, but I think we now have a clear picture of what is needed.”

The RFP was issued by Resource Recycling Systems (RRS), Ann Arbor, Michigan, which has been consulting the city on its recycling program since June. Lexington Recycle Center temporarily suspended paper recycling May 14 because of cost increases from changes in the recyclable commodities marketplace. While the city asked residents to refrain from putting paper products in recycling containers, the city hopes to bring paper recycling back by late fall, according to a news release from the city.

“People ask me about it all the time,” Gorton says. “They say they’re not comfortable putting paper in the trash, and neither am I. We’re all anxious to get back to recycling.”

Along with Gorton’s efforts to revamp the paper recycling program, the city is making strides to improve other parts of its recycling program, including updating old equipment. Lexington has invested in equipment to improve its aluminum sorting machine and is “considering buying equipment to improve glass recycling.”

The current single-stream glass recycling format is causing equipment breakdowns at the MRF and it does not produce a desirable glass product, the city says. As a result, Lexington is evaluating new equipment and the impact of collection changes.

“We’re looking at all the angles,” Gorton says. “Lexington’s recycling program has needed an overhaul for several years. Our facility is inadequate, our equipment is outdated and markets for recyclables have changed. We’re putting together a good plan to move forward. Our overhaul needs to be comprehensive and sustainable.”