Kingman launches paid recycling drop-off; city received $50,000 grant to support program

Kingman City’s new recycling drop-off program is operating with limited hours and a per-trip fee while staff continue to build capacity for larger-scale processing.

Ed Tapia, the city’s solid waste superintendent, told the Clean City Commission on Oct. 16 that the recycling center is open Thursday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., that the fee is $7.53 per trip, and that a baler has been ordered and is expected in November. "If you came in a truck and you filled it up, it would be $7.53," Tapia said of the per-trip charge.

Tapia also said the city was awarded a $50,000 grant to support the recycling program; staff are working with the grantor to develop public-service announcements and outreach materials that will be distributed with water bills and other channels. He said the program currently accepts aluminum and other metal, tin cans, type 1 and 2 plastics, cardboard and glass of all colors; customers should remove lids to aid processing but labels need not be removed.

Staff plan to bale accumulated materials and will receive tonnage records from the processor, which will be submitted to the grantor as required. Tapia said he does not expect recycling to be a major revenue source; because Kingman is rural, transport and processing costs make the program primarily a waste-diversion effort rather than a profit center.

Commissioners asked about transparency of costs and the $7.53 fee. Staff said detailed cost breakdowns are being developed with the city manager and finance director and that financial records can also be requested through the city clerk under public-records procedures.

The commission had questions about outreach and school-based recycling competitions; staff encouraged placing that item on a future agenda so the commission and possible partners can plan details and funding sources.