By Lizzie Stone, city council reporter
Harrisonburg residents can schedule online to have cardboard picked up from their homes beginning next week. The city will begin an opt-in program for recycling-bound cardboard collections on Fridays so people won’t have to bring cardboard to a recycling drop-off point.
Tom Hartman, director of public works, told the city council on Tuesday that residents will need to break down cardboard boxes, then stack the pieces on the curb behind their trash bins prior to pickup.
Cardboard collections will take place every Friday, with the exception of holidays. The city will offer time slots available for reservation until noon on the Thursday prior to pickup.
People who receive direct trash pickup services will be eligible for cardboard collection. Apartment residents, or residents who use dumpsters, will not be eligible for the cardboard collection program.
Harrisonburg ended a single-stream recycling pick-up — in which people could put plastic, cardboard, paper and metal in a single container — in spring 2018 when the global recycling market began to constrict. The city then opened the Recycling Convenience Center on Beery Road and added a mobile recycling unit for people to drop off recyclable materials.
Hartman said previous curbside recycling programs stopped because they were expensive for the city. This program’s simple collection process will not require sorting costs, he said.
Council member Dany Fleming said optimizing cost effectiveness of recycling programs is a challenge.
“I appreciate the creativity and innovation in doing this,” Fleming said. “Residents will appreciate [it].”
- Harrisonburg’s delayed Navigation Center, which will provide shelter and resources for people without housing, will open with a ribbon cutting 2 p.m. Dec. 18 at its permanent location, 1111 N. Main St. The shelter was expected to open in October, but construction delays forced city partner Valley Open Doors to seek a temporary shelter space.
- The council appointed Gil Coleman to the open seat on the Harrisonburg Electric Commission. Coleman will replace Maria Papadakis when her term ends on Jan. 31. HEC General Manager Brian O’Dell recommended three candidates, each of whom attracted support from different members of the council.. Council member Chris B. Jones expressed support for Aaron Ludwig, who has a business background and has worked with Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance. Vice Mayor Laura Dent backed Kevin Comer who has expertise in energy services and renewable energy. But the council unanimously appointed Coleman after two failed motions for the other candidates and after an endorsement from Mayor Deanna Reed.
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