Norfolk residents could soon be paying more for city trash services. It is up to the city council members when those changes come.
The rising cost of curbside recycling means monthly waste collection bills could increase by $3.50 – from $28.51 to $32.01 – Norfolk Public Works Director Richard Broad told City Council members at an informal meeting Tuesday. The amount the city pays for recycling services has increased by $2.4 million per year.
If the city council agrees, the rate increase will take effect on January 1.
But Norfolk City Manager Patrick Roberts also offered council members a second option: cover the additional costs with city revenues through June 30, and take action on the rate increase decision at a later date. Mayor Kenny Alexander said at the meeting that he supported the postponed option.
The upcoming decision comes as cities across the Hampton Roads grapple with the higher costs of the recycling program. Virginia Beach increased waste management fees this year by $3.05 to $30.55 per month to continue its curbside recycling program. Chesapeake will discontinue its curbside program in 2022 and offer recycling instead. Chesapeake voters this month said no to paying a fee to restore curbside recycling.
However, Broad said Norfolk residents want to keep the program, citing a survey of residents completed this year in which 85% of more than 3,000 respondents approved a rate increase to continue curbside service. Nearly 70% disagreed with the switch to a drop-off system.
Broad said TFC Recycling is essentially the only option for recycling programs in the area. After a five-year contract with the city expired this year, Norfolk asked for new proposals for recycling collection and processing. TFC was the sole bidder for both programs.
TFC was awarded the contract worth $5.6 million per year on November 1. The annual cost is $2.4 million more than the previous contract, Broad said. City spokesperson Kelly Straub said the new contract will last four years.
During the meeting, Councilwoman Andria McClellan wondered how much of the new spending came from what she called wishful recyclers: residents who try to recycle items that really can’t be recycled, such as used pizza boxes. She proposed a concentrated education campaign about what can be recycled.
“We have to do a better job,” McClellan said. “We need to get TFC involved.”
Councilman Tommy Smigiel said TFC also needs to be faster with recycling pickup. He said recycling in his neighborhood was sometimes picked up a full day later than trash, and some residents gave up early and took out their trash bins.
Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com
