At a work session Tuesday evening, Bradford City Council heard
about options for the future of the city’s recycling program from
SDS of Olean, N.Y.

Stephen Klemann, recycling marketing manager for FCR Recycling –
a Casella Waste Systems Inc. company (as is SDS), told council
members he was there to present them with some options for
consideration on how to proceed.

“I understand you had a not-for-profit organization sorting
stuff and getting the profits,” Klemann said, referring to
Rambler/Owls Recycling Corp. It was not immediately clear why
Rambler/Owls were no longer involved in the city’s recycling.

“This is not a golden egg,” Klemann said, warning council that
SDS cannot offer them lots of money from this venture. “What we can
offer is newer technology.”

Describing the city’s current recycling program, he said that
tin, glass, aluminum, paper and cardboard are currently recycled,
but plastic is not. The city has a recycling truck and uses a dump
truck and a van as well.

There is also a new recycling facility, located on High Street,
which was paid for with a grant – totaling $393,050 for the
facility, equipment and a truck – from the Pennsylvania Department
of Environmental Protection in 2004.

Klemann presented three options to council: 1. the city collects
and delivers recyclable materials to SDS in Olean and implements
plastic recycling; 2. the city continues curbside pickup, but all
recyclables would be mixed together in one large bin for
collection; and 3. SDS provides all residential recycling and
curbside garbage collection.

“We are not here to tell you to get rid of your employees,”
Klemann said, referring to the last option presented. “Maybe this
is not an option. This is not something we’re promoting. Again,
it’s just an option.

“There’s a lot of variances we could look at,” he said.

While voicing no opinion on any one option, Mayor Michele
Corignani referred a question to a representative from the DEP in
attendance, Guy McUmber.

“We have, with the DEP, secured a lot of funding. I’d like to
know the effects if we decide to outsource, for lack of a better
term,” Corignani said. “Say we don’t use our recycling center any
more. What about the monies we garnered for the building?”

“Unless you can find another comparable purpose, that’s a real
concern,” McUmber said. “We don’t want it to drive the
process.”

None of the council members spoke in favor of discontinuing use
of the recycling center. Instead, Councilman Dan Costello asked
several questions about using it in different ways for the same
purpose.

“That’s not to say we can’t continue what we are doing,”
Corignani said.

“If we helped out just to trigger some brain power in here, I’m
good,” Klemann said.

City Clerk John Peterson added that council needs to understand
that “recycling costs money. We’re mandated to recycle. Residents
don’t pay the true costs of recycling. We absorb that cost.
Recycling is not cheap.”