Abuse of privilege may close down recycle option

PEA RIDGE — City employees found a mess Tuesday upon returning to work after the three-day weekend.

The trailers for recyclable material were emptied Friday and by Tuesday they were overflowing and surrounded by trash, not just recyclable material.

“If we can’t keep it any better than this, we may have to shut it down,” Nathan See, city official, said.

The trailers, placed behind the Emergency Services Building on South Curtis Avenue, have previously been emptied by Benton County

Solid Waste. There are designated spots to recycle glass, plastic, aluminum cans, metal cans, paper and cardboard. With the revenue shortfalls created by the restrictions imposed by covid-19, Benton County Solid Waste no longer hires drivers to haul the trailers.

“We created an MOU with Benton County,” See said, explaining an MOU is a memorandum of understanding (not a contract) and the city hauls off the recyclables. He said the cardboard goes to Rogers and the other items go to Centerton.

See said the trailers were all emptied Friday and many items that don’t qualify as recyclables were left on site over the weekend.

The cardboard recycle trailer has a sign requesting all cardboard boxes be broken down, which allows many more boxes to be put in trailer, but boxes were in the trailer and on the ground nearby.

“We don’t know if people leaving the items are from the city, outside the city or Missouri,” but the city can not maintain the recycle bins if people are not considerate enough to use them appropriately, See said.

Annette Beard may be reached by email at abeard@nwadg.com.

(Courtesy Photo) Bags of trash were left beside the recycle trailer over the weekend, according to Pea Ridge city officials.