CHESAPEAKE, Va. — One hot topic driving voters to the polls in Chesapeake this year is recycling.
This summer, city officials ended curbside recycling services after Chesapeake city council members voted to cancel the contract with TFC Recycling.
But blue bins are still top of mind for many community members.
The end of the curbside recycling contract hasn’t stopped Buck Hodges from filling up his blue bins.
“I bring them down here, empty them, and go back and start the process all over,” Hodges said while visiting a drop-off recycling site at the Chesapeake Municipal Center.
In July, city officials opened seven recycling sites -- including at the Municipal Center -- to encourage people to keep thinking green. There are bins for cardboard, metal cans, mixed paper, and select plastics.
“I was wondering about the access and how it was going to be,” Hodges said. “But the times I have been down here, fairly painless.”
Still, many community members say they miss the curbside convenience.
“We were very happy with the recycling program,” said community member George Yacus. “It is pretty cumbersome to try to load it up and bring it somewhere.”
Around 70 people sat through a forum last week about recycling options in the city. Aside from recycling collection sites, there are four subscription-based curbside companies people can hire.
Now, all eyes are on city council election candidates. There are five seats up for grabs this year. Thirteen people, including three incumbents, are vying for a position, and almost all say curbside recycling is a priority.
Greenbrier resident Mara Bates attended the forum and told 13News Now she’s ready to cast her ballot.
“If you do not have that you want recycling back as a city initiative and through the city, then you aren’t getting my vote at all,” Bates said.
By cutting the curbside program, Chesapeake Public Works Director Early Sorey said they’ve saved money for other city priorities. He said reoccurring quarterly costs for the collection sites total more than $360,000 now, but the curbside contract cost more than $1 million.
“Our operating costs are roughly one-third what they were previously,” Sorey said.
A city spokeswoman said the savings go toward helping fund other current budget priorities like a public safety classification and compensation plan, general workforce wage increase, road maintenance, and more.
“We have recycling in Chesapeake, it is different than what it has been in the past,” Sorey said.
Sorey said city crews collected roughly 200 tons of recycling from July to mid-October. He said that number is about 10 percent of what the curbside contract collected. But, those totals don’t include customers recycling through subscription programs.
“At the end of the year, they will have to provide us a report identifying the volume they have collected,” Sorey said.
Buck Hodges said he’ll always recycle whether or not the curbside system makes a comeback.
“I would try to find the best way to recycle and reuse things because I think that is important for the environment,” Hodges said.
On November 12, city officials are hosting a "Chesapeake Recycles Day" at Tidewater Community College on Cedar Road.
During the event, crews will collect a wide variety of times from daily recyclables to household hazardous waste, electronics, and more.