After two months of operations, it is already clear that the Town of Patagonia’s new drop-off recycling program has been well received.
Town intern Summer Smith has been keeping tabs on the level of participation and the volume of recyclable items accepted at the facility located behind the post office. She reported that on most Thursdays, nearly 100 vehicles are driven to the recycling area where several town personnel and Patagonia Recycling Task Force volunteers unload the recyclables and place them in the two roll-off containers supplied by Republic Services, one for cardboard, the other for mixed recyclables.
Not surprisingly, all businesses in town participate in the program, made particularly attractive because town personnel pick up the cardboard at the business locations.
Through February 1, 7.29 tons of recyclables have been processed through the program, an average of more than a ton every week.
Through the first nine weeks of operation, patrons have donated $1,371, an average of $152 per week. According to Town Manager Ron Robinson, the donations are being used in part to offset expenses such as gloves, vests and a shade canopy for volunteers but more importantly, to help keep the program affordable for the town. Even with donations, Robinson estimates the program will cost the town about $15,000 annually in town labor and payments to Republic Services to transport and process the recyclables.
All indications thus far are that the program is wildly popular. Town personnel and volunteers uniformly report positive feedback about the service. Expressions of thanks and gratitude are frequent, and the donations are a good sign that those who use the program really appreciate it.
Republic Services Municipal Programs Manager Emma Reyes, who attended the first several weeks of operation, is so pleased with the program that she is suggesting it as a model well suited to other small towns in her Southern Arizona district.