Pensacola will shut down its monitored recycling drop-off site on North Palafox Street beginning Saturday, even as the city’s opt-in curbside program adds customers and collects cleaner loads, Mayor D.C. Reeves said Tuesday.
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Reeves framed the closure as a cost decision after the site “served its purpose” during the city’s reboot of curbside recycling.
“It gave us an outlet, especially for folks that needed assistance getting things out of their cars," he said, but added "… Total materials that we were collecting ... didn't justify the cost of keeping that open.”
“We are not planning on closing Summit," he said. "That facility has been open for years and will continue to be open.”
At the same time, Reeves reported steady growth in the opt-in program and contamination rates that are far below the levels that helped derail Pensacola’s old curbside model.
“We're now up to 2,945 customers who have opted in," he said, "and we continue to beat weekly projections from our national partners. You can do the math. I haven't done the exact percentage, but 2,945 out of about 21,500 homes is well over 10% … and we're averaging about 100 opt-ins a day.”
Residents who enroll should expect a short wait for a cart.
“One of the big questions (we hear) is, 'When do I get my recycling can?' … The expectation should be about seven to 10 days from when you have sent that postcard,” Reeves said. “Under that timeline, we are fully caught up. So we're not getting seven to 10 days because we're behind. That's just about what it's taken to get that can out to you. And if it's gone beyond 10 days … you can call 311 today and we will chase down the line behind that and get it to you as soon as possible.”
The program’s volumes have climbed quickly since the restart.
“Last week we collected more than 23,000 pounds of recyclables," Reeves said, "meaning now we've totaled up more than 65,000 pounds of recyclables since the restart,” Reeves said. The city is also seeing cleaner loads.
“Last week was 8% contamination," Reeves said. "The week before was six … and we're extremely, extremely pleased with that result.”
The city is wrestling with a familiar problem at unmonitored drop-off sites, he added. Now that curbside service is back.
"We're seeing lots of living room furniture and dining room tables and everything else,” Reeves said. “Historically, with every city, unassisted drop-offs are just tough to manage … This is a challenge not unique to the city of Pensacola.”
Reeves thanked residents who have opted in and said the model is working as intended.
“I think that's the whole idea of the opt-in model," he said. "It helps us isolate folks who really want to do this, and you see immediately the positive results.”
