Sweden will continue offering recycling center services

Sweden will continue offering recycling center services

After holding a public information meeting, reviewing written comments from residents, consulting with other municipalities and private refuse services, the Sweden Town Board will increase the cost of a recycling center pass and place an expiration date on passes to close the gap between the current fee charged for the service and the actual cost of operating the center.

"Nearly every resident that spoke at the information meeting, wrote a letter or talked personally to a board member, said they would be willing to pay more to keep the center open," said Deputy Supervisor Rob Carges.

Sweden had not raised its refuse/recycling fees since 2001. The current fee is $2.50 per bag of household garbage, which is significantly less than what private companies charge. Private haulers that offer a per bag service charge $2.25 - $4 per bag, plus a monthly service fee ranging from $8 to $14.

Sweden is one of only three towns in Monroe County that offer refuse/recycling center services. Residents at the public information meeting said that Sweden board members should be proud they are able to offer a service that few other towns can.

"One of the reasons we held the information meeting," said Supervisor Nat O. Lester, III, "was to gauge the level of interest of our residents. We needed to find out if the service was of enough value to them that they were willing to pay more. Their answer was a resounding 'yes'."

Effective Saturday, March 4, the cost of a 10-punch recycling pass will increase to $50. Each bag of household garbage will still cost one "punch." The rest of the fee schedule remains largely the same, although there will be a minimum "punch" for miscellaneous items. The amended fee schedule will be available at the Town Hall and the Recycling Center on February 14.

New recycling passes will be available at the town hall on Wednesday, February 15. In the meantime, residents may still purchase and use the current pass. Once the new passes are available, passes purchased from January 1, 2005 forward will be redeemable towards a new pass. Passes purchased prior to January 1, 2005 will no longer have any value. Recycling attendants will not be permitted to accept the old passes at the recycling center beginning March 4. Old passes must be redeemed at the town hall if they are eligible for redemption.

All new passes will expire one year from date of purchase. In effect, the privilege of using the recycling center will cost each user a minimum of $50 per year. Some residents are still using passes issued in the late 1990s to dispose of recyclabes, which require no punch for disposal. The expiration date establishes a minimum annual charge for all types of users.

"We considered adopting an annual pass fee," Lester said, "similar to Clarkson's annual fee of $160. But the price increase for many of our residents who only purchase one or two passes per year would have been $110-$135. Our new system will only create a $25-$50 increase, which is much more acceptable. The residents who purchase only one or two passes per year are probably our oldest residents and we wanted system that had the least impact on them."

In order to notify the public about the fee change, the town has issued press releases, will advertise in local papers, send notices to residents who purchased passes in 2005 and have flyers available at the town hall and recycling center.