MOUNT HOLLY, N.C. — Due to a significant increase in cost, Mount Holly City Council decided to suspend its contracted recycling program as of July 1.
In a work session held Monday, a proposal for a rate increase was unanimously rejected. According to the city, the "proposal that would have increased recycling rates for residential customers by 87% for the upcoming fiscal year."
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The math shared by the city said Mount Holly residents currently pay $5.18 monthly for curbside recycling services, but the new proposal would have increased that amount to $9.71 a month.
"The proposed rate hike presented an unsustainable financial burden on the City’s budget and the City's residents, prompting the City Council to seek more cost-effective alternatives," a release about the suspension reads. "During the session, council members discussed the implications of the proposed increased rates and concluded that suspending the recycling program was the most prudent course of action at the current time."
The city's release explained in-depth the change in the global recycling market which has trickled down increased costs to residents. The city claims surrounding cities like Bessemer City, Gastonia, Kings Mountain and Shelby ended their recycling programs too.
Mount Holly residents can still recycle items, but they will have to haul their recycling to the Riverbend Recycling Center at 146 Mountain Island Road. There are multiple other recycling facilities listed on Gaston County's website.
People who have the blue recycling bins are allowed to keep them at this point as the city has no plans to collect them yet. But trash cannot be placed in those bins and expected to be picked up. Blue bins will not be collected from.
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