— from Pete Moe, Director, Orcas Recycling Services —
On July 1, the San Juan County Council voted to approve a range of price adjustments requested by Orcas Recycling Services/The Exchange. The prices, which were built-in to the operating contract between ORS and the County, cannot be increased without Council approval.
“The board of ORS worked very hard on a mid-year budget revision that was driven by the changes in the cost of recycling, and our improved understanding regarding the realistic costs of managing our island’s garbage,” ORS board president Tim Blanchard said. “These new prices get ORS on a stable footing, while remaining significantly lower than what we were all paying before ORS took over.”
Many of the changes to the price list were for new services that ORS has introduced since taking over operation of the Orcas Transfer Station including collection of batteries, used cooking oil, and electronics.
ORS also requested permission to raise the rates on basic services like collection of garbage and comingled recyclables.
In May of this year, the company that processes all of San Juan County’s recycling, TriCounty Recycling, imposed a significant price increase on ORS.
“When TriCounty went from charging us nothing ($0) to charging us $30/ton for recycling, it threw our budget out of whack,” ORS executive director Pete Moe said. “We had to ask the Council for an adjustment because we have been losing money on recycling ever since.”
Self-haulers will be charged $2 more per can of garbage and recycling in the near future. A 32-gallon can of mixed recycling will cost $4, and a can of garbage will be $9. There will be no change in the price for self-haulers using the scale. That price will remain $300 per ton.
The Council also approved an increase in the rates charged San Juan Sanitation, the “franchise hauler” for San Juan County. Their rates will increase to $130/ton for recycling and $195/ton for garbage.
Orcas Recycling Services/The Exchange is a community-driven non-profit committed to the sustainable, responsible management of Orcas Island’s waste stream. ORS/The Exchange has been operating the Orcas Island Transfer Station since September 2013. www.exchangeonorcas.org
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I am inclined to trust ORS until proven wrong–price increases and all. So, my attention goes to the fact that I control completely the resources I use, waste, or recycle. I am grateful for a safer repository for my discards, and I am working on having fewer.