Last week, private garbage and recycling company Waste Management said it would cost $120,000 to operate a public recycling drop-off center in Basalt next year, more than double what it cost in 2019. The firm says that comes in response to higher drop-off fees at a larger facility in Denver.
The drop-off center near Willits has been jointly funded by both Basalt and Pitkin County. Recently, residents have turned to Eagle County for help keeping it open after Pitkin County pulled its funding. Missouri Heights resident and user of the drop-off center Lynn Uhl is among those who have met with Eagle County representatives.
“I think Eagle County is really willing to pony up as long as it's not too expensive, and Basalt has already kind of budgeted $30,000 toward recycling. So I still think it'll maybe be a 50-50 split,” said Uhl.
Uhl says a convenient recycling center is invaluable to the community and thinks without one, plenty of recyclable items would end up in landfills.
