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Recycling fees collected even though some recycling is not

The city has stopped collecting some recycling but still keeps charging residents. Why?

ST. LOUIS — If you live in the City of St. Louis, there's a chance you're paying for recycling but not exactly getting what you paid for.

For months now, the city has been throwing some recycling away with the trash. It's not a secret, but it's pretty obvious it's not exactly well-known either. 

You could say recycling is a shared responsibility. Ask Elysia Musumeci, the program manager of St. Louis City Recycle, who's responsible for teaching all of us how. She has worked for the city and Brightside St. Louis for about seven years and knows her material.

"Even if they don't care too much about it, they're willing to do it because they know it's for the good," said Musumeci.

She said everyone she comes in contact with wants to recycle, so they don't mind taking the extra step to make sure their recycling gets to a public drop-off site these days.

Labor shortages have put a stop to alleyway recycling in St. Louis city, leaving some neighborhoods with the only option of driving to a public drop-off. The drivers will still pick up what's in the alley recycling bins, but they mix it with garbage.

Yet, the city is still charging $14 a month — though it covers many things like trash and yard waste. 

"It's trash, recycling, yard waste, bulk pick up and 12 drop-offs at a transfer station a year," said Musumeci. "It's a comprehensive service. Comparatively to the region, I think most people are paying like $30 to $40 a month."

Musumeci said she gets a lot of calls on the subject and always redirects people to one of the more than two dozen public drop-off sites in the city.

Of course, not everyone is happy about it.

Alderman Joe Vaccaro said people also call him every day to complain about the issue. 

"Either start doing the job or quit charging," Vaccaro stated.

He said the city added a $3 fee for alleyway recycling a few years ago and believes that fee should go back to the people.

"If you said this year, 'You know what? With everything going on, my income just hasn't been quite what I thought it should be, so I'm going to pay two-thirds of my taxes. And I want you to forget about the rest. Don't even argue it.' Not only will they argue it, they'll put you in court," the alderman said.

Vaccaro said he understands that resources are low right now, but that it doesn't give the city the right to collect fees. He said it's not what citizens signed up for, and now he's sponsoring a resolution to find a solution that includes getting the fee off the books as well as a potential rebate. 

Vaccaro said many of the alleyway recycling bins are still being filled with sorted cardboard and milk jugs, showing that people have missed the city's message that those bins would go out with the trash — something the city has announced since July 2021. 

READ: St. Louis stops alleyway recycling pickup as staffing shortages continue

"I understand the inconvenience about it," said Musumeci. "I have to deal with the same thing at my house. But I mean, we know recycling will come back in full force eventually. So we all just need to do our part and utilize these drop-offs if we have alley dumpsters."

Residents who use rollcarts aren't affected; their recycling in the blue curbside bins is still being recycled.

Vaccaro said there will be a hearing Wednesday, March 16 to discuss recycling fees. 

VERIFY: Is recycling ending up in St. Louis landfills?

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