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WEBVTT A LOT OF REACTION SINCE YOUBROKE THIS STORY.REPORTER: THAT MEETING JUST GOTUNDERWAY.CITY ADMINISTRATOR CARL GEFFKENSAYS HE'S BEEN FOCUSED ONKEEPING SEWER RATES FROMSKY-ROCKETING AND DEALING WITH AFAILED SPORTS COMPLEX THAT'S NOWHEADED TO COURHE SAYS PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE BEENTOLD THEIR RECYCLABLES WEREBEING BURIED IN THE LANDFILL.FOR JACKY FLEMING RECYCLING ISIMPORTANT.>> I ACTLLY HAVE TWO SONS, ONEIS AN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTISTAND THE OTHER WHO IS A LANDSCAPEARCHITECT.REPORTER: TODAY WAS TRASH DAY.>> YEAH THEY DID, AND THEYPICKED UP MY RECYCLED TRASH FAKERECYCLED TRASH.REPORTER: RESIDENTS ARE LEARNINGWHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS BEINGRECYCLED IS NOW GOING STRAIGHT TO THELANDFILL, AND IT'S BEENHAPPENING SINCE NOVEMBER>> I JUST FOUND OUT THAT WE HAVEBEEN LIED TO.IT'S ABSOLUTELY WRONG AND WHAT IDON'T UNDERSTAND IS WHY THEREWAS NEVER A NOTIFICATION.REPORTER: CITY ADMINISTRATORCARL GEFFKEN SAYS PEOPLE SHOULDHAVE BEEN TOLD >> I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT TELLING,MAKING THE COMMUNICATION TO THERESIDENTS THAT WE HAD STOPPEDTHIS WHILE WE WERE LOOKING FOR ASHORT AND LONG TERM SOLUTION.REPORTER: SINCE 2014, THE CITYADMINISTRATOR SAYS FORT SMITWAS SENDING MOST OF ITSRECYCLABLES TO A COMPANY INCLARKSVILLE WHO WOULD SORT ANDREDISTBUTE THE REUSABLE TRASH.HE SAYS SOME ITEMS WERE BEINGPUT IN THE LANDFILL.IN NOVEMBER, THE CITYADMINISTRATOR SAYS THE COMPANYSTARTED CHARGING TO RECYCLE BUTIN FORT SMITH -->> THE ISSUE WITH RECYCLING INTHE CITY IS THAT WE DON'T CHARGEFOR IT.>> THERE IS WAY THAT WE DON'TSOMEHOW, MAYBE NOT SHOWING ONOUBILL, THAT WE DO NOT PAY FORIT, WE PAY FOR IT THE TAX PAYERSPAY FOR IT.REPORTER: THE CITY ADMINISTRATORSAYS THE PAST FEW YEARS SEWERRATES HAVE INCREASED 167% ANDCOULD KEEP CLIMBING.HE SAYS RAISING TRASH RATES DOESNOT MAKE SENSE.>> THAT WOULD BECOUNTERPRODUCTIVE AND ADDANOTHER COST TO OUR RESIDENTSWHICH IS NOT SOMETHING WE WANTTO DO.>> ALL THE TROUBLE AND THE TIMEIT TAKES TO RECYCLE HAS BECOME AMAJOR WASTE OF TIME AND SELFDESTRUCTIVE TO OUR ENVIRONMENTREPORTER: AS SOON AS THE CITYDIRECTORS ARE FINISHED THEREWILL BE A TOWN HALL MEETING.WE'RE EXPECTING CITIZENS TOSPEAK OUT AND QUESTION CITYLEADERS ABOUT Y NO ONE WASTOLD THAT THE CITY STOPPEDRECYCLING MONTHS AGO.

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UPDATE: According to a news release Monday night from the City of Fort Smith, the Board of Directors has requested an additional item be placed on the agenda of the May 16th regular meeting directing the Sanitation Department to store collected recyclable materials in a separate location at the landfill and that the required permitting from the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality be requested as soon as possible to allow for such. All directors approved the addition. City administrator Carl Geffken says the city is already looking into the process with ADEQ. Earlier article: Fort Smith officials tonight say information earlier this week regarding the City's recycling program was incorrect. Deputy city administrator Jeff Dingman says the information provided to him by the Sanitation director erroneously listed November 2016 as the date Fort Smith's recyclable materials stopped being transported to Green Source Recycling center in Clarksville, when it was actually June of 2016. The letter to city administration, the Board of Directors and the media states, "All residential recyclable material collected since July has been put in the landfill. What was originally thought to be a temporary situation in July became permanent in October. If any further information is learned, it will be forwarded." Earlier article: Items that Fort Smith residents have been putting in their recycling bins have been going to a landfill for the past six months, City Administrator Carl Geffken told 40/29 News. Fort Smith used to send its recyclable materials to the Green Source Recycling Center in Clarksville. But in early November 2016, Green Source closed its single-stream processing line, leaving Fort Smith without anywhere to send its materials, according to Geffken. Fort Smith examined proposals from two recycling companies in January, but neither offer was deemed satisfactory. The city is negotiating with one of the companies for a lower price. Some residents told 40/29 News they felt betrayed when they learned that their recyclables were being buried in the landfill. "I just found out that we have been lied to, " Jacky Fleming said. "It's absolutely wrong and what I don't understand is why there was never a notification." Recycling is important to Fleming. "I actually have two sons, one is an environmental scientist and the other is a landscape architect, " said Fleming as she spoke to 40/29 News moments after sanitation workers picked up her trash. "Yeah they did," Fleming said. "And they picked up my recycled trash...fake recycled trash." The city administrator told 40/29 News that residents should have been told about the recycling program being stopped. "I apologize for not telling or making the communication to the residents that we had stopped this while we were looking for a short and long term solution, " Geffken said. "The issue with recycling in the city is that we don't charge for it." Geffken told 40/29 News he has been focused on trying to keep sewer rates from sky-rocketing and that he's been dealing with a failed sports complex that is currently involved wrapped up in lawsuits. In the past few years, Fort Smith residents have seen their sewer bills increase 167% and they could continue to go up, according to Geffken. He says raising sanitation rates to pay for recycling is not a good option at the moment. "That would be counterproductive and would add another cost to our residents which is not something we want to do, " said Geffken. "There is no way that we don't somehow, maybe not showing up on our bill, that we do not pay for it. We pay for it, the tax payers pay for it," Fleming said. "All the trouble and the time it takes to recycle has become a major waste of time and self destructive to our environment." The city is exploring the idea of eventually building its own recycling facility, Geffken said. The facility could potentially take in materials from across the area. In the meantime, Fort Smith asks people to continue to put their recyclable materials in the carts provided by the city. It hopes to have a short-term solution in place soon.