BY DAN HILDEBRAN
The man in charge of recycling in Clay County said the jurisdiction’s recycling volume dropped by one-half during the COVID-19 Pandemic and never recovered.
County Recycling Coordinator Jamie Wilkes told commissioners during their April 23 meeting that the drop in volume, combined with a decline in value for recycled plastics, glass, and aluminum, leaves cardboard as the only economically viable material to be recycled.
Wilkes added that most recycled glass collected since the pandemic has been sent to landfills because it is not clean.
Currently, Waste Management collects cardboard, plastics, and metal cans at curbside once a week. However, on September 1, another provider will take over the county’s solid waste contract. Commissioners have until then to decide on the county’s recycling policy.
