By Debby Woodin

dwoodin@joplinglobe.com

If Joplin started curbside recycling, it could cost residents at least $15 a month.

And that’s a big if.

Mary Anne Phillips, city recycling coordinator, doesn’t want people to think that is what’s going to happen or that would definitely be the price.

The Joplin City Council in July, when approving a request to renew the city’s franchise waste-hauling agreement with Allied Waste Services, asked city staff to find out what the cost might be to provide curbside recycling.

The council will be told in its informal meeting Monday that it could possibly cost $15.25 per month per household for Allied to provide curbside recycling, according to a letter sent to the city by Jennifer Fagan, governmental affairs manager for Allied.

Phillips said the monthly cost listed in Fagan’s letter is “a very rough, rough, rough estimate.” She said a lot of factors would go into determining the actual cost, if the city opted for such a service.

One consideration would be how far Allied would have to transport the recyclables to dispose of them. Allied does curbside recycling for residents of Bentonville, Ark. Allied takes the items to a plant in Johnson, Ark., near Fayetteville, Ark., for recycling.

Another factor would be whether Allied owns the plant where the materials are recycled or whether it would have to take them to a plant owned by someone else and pay fees for the disposal.

Fagan writes in the letter that factors also include economic conditions and commodity price for the recyclables.

“It’s not really even a proposal. It’s just an idea,” said Phillips. “It’s a ballpark figure that we are not holding them to, but the council wanted to know a ballpark figure.”

Fagan writes in the letter that Allied would have to spend approximately $3.5 million in startup costs.

Phillips said those costs would include buying new trucks equipped to handle both trash and recyclables. Allied’s current trucks couldn’t do that. It also means buying 34,000 poly carts for residents to use; one for trash and for recycling per household. There are about 17,000 households served by the trash service, Phillips said.

If the city went to curbside recycling, though, everyone would likely be included in the plan. She doubts that people who have other means of recycling could be excluded from the service — and the charges.