Ashland dealing with mess from overflowing recycle bins

The Ashland Board of Aldermen plans to discuss other possible recycling options at its upcoming meeting after the city’s central drop-off location has been consistently overflowing.

“It’s a great program and it’s overwhelming us is what’s happening,” said City Administrator Lyn Woolford.

Ashland and Boone County residents who use the drop-off location at Redbud and Bass streets said the bins are almost always full.

“There’s not enough room to put your stuff in, and a lot of times, we’ll just leave because there’s not enough room,” said Laura Nutt, a Hartsburg resident who drops off her recycling about once a week.

Woolford said one bin, which is designated for Ashland city residents, and which the city contracts out from Republic Services for about $500 a month, is emptied every day from Monday through Friday. The other bin, which is intended for county residents, is emptied on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Recycling isn’t picked up over the weekend, and Woolford and residents said that is why there is usually a mess on the ground.

“This Monday, when I got here and it was all over the place, that was kind of the last straw for me,” Woolford said.

“Kinda helter-skelter,” said Ashland resident Jenni Schierbecker, describing the mess near the bins. “Stuff is is disarrary, kind of a mess. Maybe they need to pick up the trash more often or the recycling more often.”

Woolford said getting another bin from Republic Services would increase residents’ utilities bills. He said the county bin was made available through a grant, which doesn’t cover the cost of another bin or more pickups.

City leaders are looking into the cost associated with curbside recycling pickup for Ashland residents. Many residents ABC 17 News spoke to Thursday said they would like curbside pickup.

Woolford said he hopes to have more information on those figures by the meeting on May 15.