Dolores Town Manager Leigh Reeves said a proposal for the town to contract with the city of Cortez for trash and recycling service is underway for next year, but it relies on more than 100 Dolores residents to participate.
Prompting the idea is the fact that the town’s free drop-off bins through the Four Corners Recycling Initiative are scheduled to become unavailable after December.
Four Corners Recycling Initiative Board President Casey Simpson said the local drop-off recycling program is winding down as the state transitions to a new system that pays haulers directly to collect curbside recycling.
“Essentially, the funding mechanism for Four Corners Recycling is going away,” Simpson said. “And that's OK, because Four Corners Recycling was an initiative to really build out both the availability and culture of recycling in the Four Corners.”
The nonprofit has helped divert 2,185.5 tons of recyclables from landfills, but its public drop-off service will end as funding disappears under the shift, he said. The organization plans to exhaust its remaining funds to support the communities it serves – Dolores, Cortez and Mancos, as well as their school districts – during the transition and help them remodel their current recycling programs.
Cortez is presenting the new trash and recycling service proposal for Dolores residents to the Dolores Town Board at its meeting Monday. Reeves said the board will consider moving forward with the plan during a vote at the Nov. 10 meeting, followed by an advertisement to residents.
Simpson said Dolores’ town manager and Town Board of Trustees “have done a great job of starting the process and looking at the options available to the community.”
Simpson added that having one trash hauler would streamline pickup, reducing the need for different trucks, pickup days and bin colors throughout town, and make the schedule more consistent. Dolores residents currently contract individually with private companies for trash pickup. Reeves said she was unsure what the proposed service entails regarding bear locks on residential trash bins, which are required by town ordinance.
Next year’s agreement only proceeds if more than 100 households buy in, and it would likely only stay in place if the minimum households continue participation.
If fewer than 100 households sign up, the service won’t move forward. Even if it begins with 100, losing participants later could cause the contract to be canceled.
If all goes forward, residents could opt-in to a trash-and-recycling service through the city of Cortez costing about $31.15 a month per household. The service would be weekly trash and recycling pickup, with residents responsible for sorting and cleaning recyclables.
The following materials that would be accepted are plastics one and two, metals, both aluminum and cans. Glass would not be recycled, and it is unclear on paper.
“They would do trash and separated recycling as opposed to mixed recycling,” Reeves said. “So, you'd have to separate things, and it has to be clean.”
If enough commitments are gathered, the board would vote on the inter-governmental agreement with Cortez on Dec. 8, with a potential program launch in January. Plans for outreach would likely be mailers to water bill customers – to measure interest and commitment levels.
Residents can drop off recyclables at the Four Corners Recycling Initiative bins on 12th Street through December, as well as the aluminum-only bins in the Dolores Public Library parking lot. Proceeds from the library bins go toward library initiatives.
Reeves said interest in the door-to-door service among residents is limited so far, with about 10 citizens expressing support earlier this year. She added the price point is comparable to existing local trash service and expects some residents may see added value in including recycling.
