City officials draw ire over recycling program confusion
The Recycled Earth recycling center on Midland Drive in Ogden is pictured June 5, 2018.
The Recycled Earth recycling operation in Ogden is pictured Wednesday, July 8, 2020.
The Recycled Earth recycling operation in Ogden on Wednesday, July 8, 2020.
OGDEN — Both the Ogden City Council and administration drew heavy criticism from citizens Tuesday night, a week after it was discovered the city has been sending recyclables to the landfill.
On July 9, the Standard-Examiner reported that for several months, Ogden has been diverting recyclable materials to a landfill meant for regular trash. Ogden Chief Administrative Officer Mark Johnson said the practice began in March, after city-contracted recycler Recycled Earth violated the terms of its use permit with the city. According to a statement issued by the city, Ogden trucks hauling recyclables “were being directed (by Recycled Earth) to dump their loads outdoors,” which is a “violation of the provider’s operating permit from Ogden City.”
Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell said the outdoor disposal created a safety and environmental problem, bringing seagulls to the area where several other business exists. He also said the Ogden Hinckley-Airport was seeing more frequent “bird strikes” because of the practice.
David Rawson, owner of the Ogden-based Recycled Earth, told the Standard-Examiner that the issue dates to spring 2019, when his company informed Ogden and other municipal customers it would need to raise the rates after China scaled back the quantity of recyclables it takes in from abroad, a move that has hindered the entire recycling market in the United States. Ogden City did not want to pay the higher rates, Rawson said, and the firm continued accepting the materials at the rate already in effect, but with no guarantee that it would be able to process all of it for recycling.
During a City Council meeting Tuesday, nearly a dozen Ogden citizens expressed frustration that they had not been informed of the city’s decision to formally halt recycling, while still collecting the material from residents’ blue recycling bins.
“A lack of transparency is a form of deception and if we’re deceived about what is going on in our city, no one can be held accountable,” said resident Heath Satow. “I’m more than upset the recycling we’ve made the effort to do … has all ended up in a landfill. Not telling us what was going on is a blatant violation of the public trust.”
Several other residents made comments similar to Satow’s, but perhaps the most scathing criticism came from Amy Wicks, a former Ogden City Council member, who several times called for council members to “do your jobs” and hold the administration accountable.
“If a program or service is discontinued or significantly changed, there should be transparency,” Wicks said. “I’m absolutely disgusted with what’s gone on. How may person hours have been wasted and how many gallons of water have been wasted in preparing and sorting recyclable materials to be placed in a bin that only ends up in a landfill? … I’m appalled at the violation of public trust and lack of transparency surrounding this.”
Caldwell took umbrage with Wicks’ and the others’ comments and said it’s been widely known that recyclable items could potentially not be recycled since the 2019 issue with China.
“For people to imply that we’ve tried to mislead the public or lie or do anything else is tremendously unfair,” Caldwell said. “Occasionally, markets shift and things happen and we have to make adjustments. I take great offense to people saying that we have manipulated and lied to the community.”
Caldwell said the city is still committed to recycling and is working to find an option that’s feasible. In the meantime, he said residents should still separate recyclables from regular trash.
“We think its a great habit to be in,” Caldwell said. “This is something the community has worked on and trained themselves to do for a long time. If we just say ‘no, it’s all gone and there’s no hope,’ that’s not functional at all. We’ll continue to look at other options.”
