Recycling pickup returns to Scott City

After a seven-week hiatus, Scott City residents once again will have curbside recycling pickup.

The service was halted in July when the recycling truck, owned by the city and leased by Inter-Rail Systems Inc. (ISI), broke down. Residents were asked to drop off their recycling during the interim.

At the time, Scott City Mayor Ron Cummins could not find a signed contract between the city and ISI. He said repairs to the truck would cost about $10,000, and without a contract, the city hesitated to make them.

The agreement between the city and ISI was made when Cummins was on the city council before he was elected mayor. He blamed former Scott City mayor Tim Porch for the lack of a contract and told the Southeast Missourian the agreement was made without approval of the city council.

Porch, in response, said this was not the case and provided a copy of a contract dated Sept. 17, 2012, and signed by the president of ISI and Randy Morse, who served as mayor pro-tem at the time of the contract. The contract provides recycling service through 2017, and it indicates ownership of recycling vehicles remains with the city.

According to the contract, ISI is responsible for the repairs to the truck. The company pays $1 per month for its use and performs the service for no charge.

ISI has provided recycling service for the city since 2012, making its profit through the sale of bulk product. Before that, the city handled recycling pickup itself — unprofitably.

The city has assisted with repairs to the truck in the past. Now that the city has a copy of the signed contract, this latest incident is no different. City Clerk Cindy Urhahn said the city agreed to pay for this round of repairs up to $10,000. As far as what was wrong with the truck, she said, “There’s a whole list of things.”

The contract between the city and ISI expires in September 2017. Urhahn expects it to be renewed next year, “but probably with different stipulations.”

Urhahn said recycling pickup will resume Wednesday and will be staggered with the trash route, so Wednesday, ISI will pick up recycling from properties on the Thursday trash route, and on Thursday, ISI will pick up recycling from properties on the Wednesday trash route.

bbrown@semissourian.com

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Scott City, Mo.