The Knox City Council wants to seek bids for trash and recycling pickup. Mayor Dennis Estok told council members Tuesday that the current contract with Waste Management is up at the end of July.
As it currently stands, the city would have to raise the monthly fee by $1.82 per household, just to cover the cost. “So in all reality, right now, we’re subsidizing about $28,173.60. That’d be for the year,” Estok explained.
Estok said the main concern is the unpredictable cost of recycling. “The reason for that is China quit taking, and everybody’s in the same boat with the recyclables,” he said. “There’s not very many places in the United States, and that’s why the price went up.”
But the mayor also pointed out that cost increase has been relatively modest over the past several years. Still, council members agreed that it wouldn’t hurt to explore other options before renewing. Estok said the next step will be to schedule work sessions, to update the city’s specifications.
