We are sorry to report that we will no longer have a Recycle Dumpster effective immediately. The reason for losing our recycling is two-fold. As a community, we are not good recyclers. We’ve been warning the Three Rivers community for a year now that we were going to lose our recycling if we didn’t keep our recycling clean from the things that aren’t recyclable. The other reason is that the market for co-mingled recycling has “collapsed” (China will no longer take our plastics as an example) and Madras Sanitary has to haul it, sort it out, remove non-recyclable items, bale it and pay the recycling mills to take it – it is cheaper to throw it away like garbage than it is to recycle it. Madras Sanitary is not able to keep up with the demands of recycling or the cost. They will be removing the recycle dumpster on Monday.
Going forward, here’s how to handle your recycling: Take it home with you and recycle there or if you’re a full-time resident of Three Rivers, take it into Redmond. Otherwise, put it in a bag with your garbage and pay your $5 at the office when you drop it off.
.
