The Fort Smith recycling program is running, but some of the kinks remaining in the system are due in part to mistakes made before materials are ever picked up.

Ward 1 Director Keith Lau told the Times Record a large portion of recyclable materials are contaminated when they arrive to be processed and ends up being disposed of in the landfill.

Sanitation Director Kyle Foreman said the department can’t say for certain if there’s an increase of contaminated materials overall. Collectors will look into recycling bins before they’re picked up to determine if the materials can be taken.

If the cart is “contaminated on the curb,” meaning the materials are not clean or recyclable, it won’t be picked up, Foreman said. There are instances, however, when people will have materials in their bins that must be pulled out once it arrives at the processor.

Residents not properly cleaning or sorting materials participate in the practice known as “wishful recycling.”

“Just because you want it to be recyclable doesn’t mean it is,” Foreman said.

Foreman believes recycling is the right thing to do to protect the environment, animals, keep spaces clean and prevent from fire or other hazards. To be effective, though, recycling has to be done correctly, which is why he meets with schools, local groups and the Sanitation Department has partnered with the Sebastian County Solid Waste District to work on marketing materials explaining the process.

“The main message is that we’re still recycling, we need to, but this is how it needs to happen,” Foreman said.

Making money?

Recycling is expensive. Foreman said it costs thousands of dollars to run the program; $534,000 is budgeted for 2019, which doesn’t include the other operational costs. All funding comes from residential collection fees.

Lau said he believes the board needs to have a “frank” discussion about the program’s profitability. It began a conversation last November during the budget hearings about the program's fiscal viability, but it has not been readdressed publicly. Lau noted he’s “not connecting dots” between the department’s profit or potential lack and contaminated materials.

Foreman said, however, it costs the city $80 per ton to process recycling. Processing trash costs $33 per ton. If residents use their recycling carts as an additional trash bin or don’t clean and separate their materials well, it costs $80 per ton to process and materials still end up in the landfill.

The director still believes in the program, but agrees they should look at how it can be done better and more effectively.

An internal recycling board was created after it was discovered the city had previously been purposely disposing of recylables at the landfill. The Fort Smith Board of Directors moved to create a public recycling committee to discuss the recycling efforts and ways to educate the public.

Keep Fort Smith Beautiful was also encouraged by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality to apply for the Environmental Stewardship Award, a grant designed to support efforts to protect and enhance the environment. The winner will be announced this spring.