The City Council has taken its first official step toward eliminating curbside glass recycling in Sioux City, saying the move was needed to ensure residents wouldn't be charged more for the service.
The council gave its first-round approval Monday to a measure that would end the current practice. Two more council approvals are needed for the measure to take effect. The next meeting is July 22.
Plastic, aluminum cans and paper still would be accepted.
The city's Environment Advisory Board made the recommendation in May. The board said glass had declined in value, making its processing impractical without passing higher costs to residents.
Residents will be encouraged to cash in bottles for the 5-cent deposit. Glass that isn't subject to the refundable deposit, such as jars, would be thrown away.
Managers of businesses that accept bottles subject to the deposit said they hoped the proposed change would attract more customers.
"We hope the draw at our redemption center is to get more people in our store to buy groceries," Jake Barkley, assistant manager at Laurence's Super Market, told the Sioux City Journal (http://bit.ly/11yLGlZ ).
But some residents expressed disappointment about the proposal.
"Maybe this is an area where the government could help by giving grants or matching funding to companies who want to recycle glass in the Midwest," resident Jan King said.
