CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Officials with the City of Charleston are looking over an external study on their recycling program.
Charleston Public Works Director Brent Webster and John Bailey, a city councilmember, appeared on Monday’s 580-LIVE on 580-WCHS to discuss the study, the program itself and other green initiatives by Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin’s administration.
Webster said the city received a grant for the study that is being done by MSW Consultants. The recycling program resumed services in September with the Raleigh County Solid Waste Authority after a long pause due to COVID-19.
“They were able to reopen and we just finished our second week where the services have been resumed and we will be starting week three to where we are fully functioning again, picking up recyclables,” Webster said.
Webster said the consultants have been out on routes and reviewing site visits to landfills in Beckley and Charleston area. The study will come out with recommendations of change.
Charleston has been taking materials to the Raleigh County Solid Waste Authority for seven years, normally transporting items five times every two weeks. The current agreement with that authority is through June 30, 2021, when Charleston’s fiscal year ends.
Webster said a partnership with the Kanawha County Solid Waste Authority does not make sense at the moment but could work long-term.
“They sort and we don’t currently,” he said. “We have about 19,500 households and talking to Kanawha County Solid Waste they wouldn’t be able to accept our volume currently.”
Bailey said the decisions are all part of the city’s initiative to go greener. City council recently created a citizen Green Team with no more than two citizens from each ward.
“The more people we can get involved to help us find better solutions, work on education programs, take a look at our energy efficiency, other things we can do to make Charleston a greener place,” Bailey said.
More than 200 volunteer citizens were out with city workers the past weekend for a city-wide fall cleanup event. Webster said there were more than 31 tons of trash collected, exceeding past cleanup weekends.