Whitefish considers changes to recycling program

Recycling drop-off locations in Whitefish can fill quickly on weekends, leaving users without a place to leave materials. To combat the issue, the city is considering the creation of a single large drop-off site or implementing mandatory curbside recycling.

Currently, there are three recycling sites in the city, including at the parking lot south of the Craggy Range, on Kalispell Avenue behind National Parks Realty and at the City Beach boat trailer parking lot.

A recycling container near Alpine Village Market was removed last summer after business owners complained about illegal dumping and litter from the container.

“At the satellite sites, the containers are small,” Public Works Director Craig Workman said. “They don’t get emptied on the weekends when the majority of people are using them.”

Workman said when the containers are full people have to find a different place to dump their recycling and some set the recycling next to the containers.

A consolidated recycling drop-off location with larger containers is proposed for the city’s snow lot near the corner of Columbia Avenue and Railway Street.

Workman said while the proposed snow lot site is zoned for industrial use, it is still across the street from a residential neighborhood.

“We’re looking at conceptual alternatives,” he said. “We want to protect the neighborhood because it would increase traffic and noise at the site.”

The city would screen the area with fencing and is looking to locate it as far north as possible away from the homes.

North Valley Refuse proposed the public site, which it suggested would have three large containers. One container for mixed paper products, newspaper and cardboard, and the second for plastics and aluminum. A third would be for corrugated cardboard recycling.

“NVR feels this would be your best option at this time and give us time to start a pilot program on single stream to make sure it is sustainable in this area,” NVR general manager Roger Bridgeford said in a memo to City Council.

Workman said he will come back to council, likely in October, with suggestions and a cost estimate for developing the snow lot site.

Another option the city is considering to help with the overflowing containers sites is the implementation of mandatory curbside recycling.

City council has asked the public works department to create a request for proposal to distribute to private firms that could provide the service.

“There could be a significant cost increase for this,” said Workman. “Council is apprehensive about it, but we do want to make sure we’re sustainable and green as possible.”

Workman expects to return to council for more review and it will decide if it wants to move forward with the idea. If curbside recycling is implemented, that would likely mean removal of the drop-off recycling sites, he noted.

According to NVR, the curbside recycling would be collected every other week and cost estimates for the service around the state vary from about $10 to more than $20 per month.

In addition, the city is looking at changes for garbage service with North Valley Refuse.

Following an increase in bear activity in town, the city last fall expanded its bear ordinance to the entire city. The law requires all residents to keep their garbage cans in a secure location until 4 a.m. on the day of pickup, and then return containers by 7 p.m. the same day.

At the time, city officials suggested looking into requiring all residences to use animal-resistant containers. NVR estimates the cost of using bear-resistant containers at about $16 per month.

“We are no longer able to obtain the cart that we were using in the current contract for a bear-resistant cart rate and also, they are not fully automated as the Kodiak [brand cart],” Bridgeford stated in a letter to the city.

Workman said the containers currently include two latches, but are being redesigned with one latch. The new containers will be available this fall and are easier for owners to use and for the garbage trucks to empty.

Workman said the city will likely not require all residents to switch to the bear-resistant containers, but will continue to follow the roll-out hours for when garbage cans can be placed on the curb. The bear-resistant containers will be made available to those who want it, he noted.

“We want to provide an alternative for people who can’t keep their garbage inside,” he said.

Billing for garbage service will shift from the city to North Valley Refuse. Property owners will no longer be billed on their city utility bill for garbage service, but will be billed directly from North Valley Refuse.

Workman said he’s unsure exactly when the switch will happen.

“This will be a mutual benefit,” he said. “We spend a lot of time dealing with garbage complaints that have to be forwarded to them. This will take out the middle man.”

He said the city will still control the cost of the garbage service.