Two and a Half Tons More Trash Coming to the Recycling Center Every Week as Burn Ban Lingers

Rural folks who normally burn a lot of their trash haven’t been able to do so since the burn ban went into effect on Sept. 11 of last year.

The Fayette County Recycling Center has noticed the effects.

“We’re seeing every bit of two-and-a-half tons more every week in trash,” said Recycling Center manager Paul Zapalac. “Before, we’d normally see 10 tons a week. Now it has increased at least 20 percent.”

That just accounts for solid waste that residents drop off in the bags purchased from the county. Zapalac said the Recycling Center has been getting a lot more cardboard as well.

The Recycling Center sells bags for solid waste to the public at $3 each since the County has to pay for disposal. On the other hand, the County sells recyclable materials like plastics and cardboard.

Zapalac said revenues for the Recycling Center were down last year due to price drops for recyclables. Cardboard, for example, went from $120 a year ago to $55 currently.

Zapalac said the County was considering a price increase for the solid waste bags to offset increasing disposal fees. They went out for bids and a local provider, All Star Rolloff from West Point, offered a very competitive price, Zapalac said.

That allowed the County to keep the price of bags at $3. The savings offered by the new disposal provider coupled with increased demand from the burn ban helped to offset the shrinking revenue from recyclable sales, Zapalac said.