Knox Mayor Dennis Estok discussed the City’s recycling contract with council members when they met last Tuesday.
Estok told members that due to the unpredictable nature of the recycling market these days, there is a portion of their contract that allows Waste Management to adjust the price for recycling pick-up if the cost to dispose of it changes.
He explained, “Every three months they reassess that so if their charge goes down, ours goes down, if it goes up, ours goes up, if it stays the same, ours stays the same.”
He told the council that for the months February, March and April, the price increased from $13.69 per home to $14.12 per home.
He explained that for those three months, the City of Knox had a total of 42 tons of recycling so they had to pay an additional $1,670 for that billing period.
Estok noted that the increased price didn’t affect what residents pay because currently, the City is picking up the additional charge.
Mayor Estok said they’ll continue to monitor the situation and if the price continues to fluctuate, they may be required to adjust customer rates next year. However, he’s been informed by officials at Waste Management that they expect recycling within the United States to become more predictable within the next year, with changes anticipated to the way the material is being managed.
