‘Not in our neighborhood’: Possible recycling center on Oakland Gravel Road met with skepticism by residents at meeting
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
City of Columbia Solid Waste hosted a meeting on Wednesday night about a possible new recycling drop-off center on Oakland Gravel Road.
More than a dozen residents showed up to voice their opinions.
The proposed recycling drop-off center would be placed on City-owned property on Oakland Gravel Road, north of the intersection with Vandiver Drive, according to a press release issued last week. The site will include up to 10 receptacles for mixed fiber and mixed containers.
The suspension has led to overflows at some of Columbia's nine residential recycling drop-off spots. Just one is north of Interstate 70. During the past year, the city has received an increased number of requests for a recycling drop-off center on the north side of town.
However, the city’s recent proposal has received criticism from some of the residents who live there.
“Where they’re wanting to put this is like the gateway to our neighborhood,” longtime Columbia resident Patti Sears told ABC 17 News. “ Something needs to be done about our recycling I agree on that, but not there. Not in our neighborhood.”
Of the roughly 15 people who attended the meeting, almost all of them were against the project. The biggest concern was traffic. Other concerns included it being an eyesore to the neighborhood and it having a negative effect on property value.
Like the rest of the city, recycling has been a hot-button issue in north Columbia for a while now. The area chosen is one of the few pieces of city-owned property there, meaning their options are limited.
“We actually looked at this project a few years ago and got similar results from citizens that it was not a desirable location, not a desirable project,” Steve Hunt, the Columbia Solid Waste Assistant Director of Utilities told ABC 17 News.
The problem is that the continued staffing shortage is only getting worse which has increased the need for an extra recycling center
The meeting comes as the City announced in May that it was temporarily halting its residential recycling services, due to staffing shortages. The suspension was expected to end in June but was indefinitely extended.
Columbia Utilities director David Sorrell said Monday night that the department would likely need to hire six more refuse collectors to once again pick up the blue recycling bags at the curb.
“Staffing has not improved,” Hunt said. “We temporarily suspended curbside recycling and actually, our staffing has gotten a little worse since then.”
Columbia is trying to gather as much resident feedback as possible. The information will be gathered and summarized for the council in October before they make a decision on whether to move forward or not. Public comments can also be submitted online.
