Cardboard baler could be boon to Marion recycling

Cardboard baler could be boon to Marion recycling

news@theeveningtimes.com

Marion is looking at ways to make the city’s recycling program more cost efficient and may look in to buying a cardboard baler.

Street Department Director Gordon Floyd said the city currently makes a minimum of three trips a week — sometimes more — to Memphis to drop off the city’s recycled materials.

Buying a baler would cut down on the number of trips and the manpower that it ties up to take those loads to the recycling center.

“We make about three trips a week there if we’re using the big garbage truck,” Floyd said. “If we are just using the trailer we pretty much have to go every day.”

Floyd is working with Mayor Frank Fogleman and Councilman Bryan Jackson, who chairs the city’s sanitation committee, on coming up with some cost estimates for a baler and a pole barn to house it.

Used balers cost about $4,0000 to $5,000.

The city is leveling off an area next to the city shop where the barn would be erected.

“I think we could invest in a cardboard baler and put it under a pole barn and bale our own cardboard, and when the trucks come out, load it up and send it to Memphis instead of our one garbage trailer,” Floyd said.

Marion has curbside recycling pickup in place. Residents can get free special plastic bags to separate materials like aluminum cans, plastic cans, tin cans, newspaper and mixed paper.

A separate city crew picks up the bags and hauls them off to a recycling center in Memphis.

Fogleman said recycling has reduced the amount of tons of garbage going to the landfill by about 20 to 25 tons a month, but the savings isn’t enough to offset the costs of the program.

“That’s pretty good because we don’t have to pay a tipping fee on that,” Fogleman said. “But the tipping fee we are saving is not as high as the fuel, wear and tear, and the travel to haul it there.”

Fogleman said the city might be able to save more and make some money by baling its cardboard.

The city would still have the upfront cost of buying a baler for the barn, but the money saved on trips to Memphis could make it worth the effort.

“We have labor, the cost of equipment, the cost of the trucks, and the time it takes to go to Memphis,” Fogleman said. “So what is driving this is can we cut the number of trips we have to make to Memphis to deliver the stuff? Gordon seems to feel there is the value of the cardboard.”

Fogleman added though that there will still be some additional expenses aside from the baler and the barn. The city has a forklift, but would need a semi trailer that the forklift could get in to and a ramp to get in to the trailer.

“There are still a bunch of unanswered questions about the program and some logistics we need to consider,” Fogleman said.

“It may not save us money if we bale. So we’re going to have to put some more thought into it before we haul off and do it.”

Floyd said right now the city isn’t making any money on recycling, but it is worth looking at some options.

Flood

“Recycling is like the elephant in the room,” Floyd said. “It is good for the environment and is the wave of the future. But it is not profitable unless you get deep in to it. At the stage we’re at now it is strictly an expense.”

Floyd said there are cities like Madison near Forrest City which are making money on recycling that Marion might want to look at.

“They have a complete recycle center there,” Floyd said. “They are using four trustees to do the work and a couple supervisors. They are drawing a lot of material from Forrest City and a lot of the smaller cities nearby. So their facility is actually turning a profit.

We’re just looking at being a little more efficient to where at least it won’t cost us money. It’s just something that Bryan asked me to work up some cost figures on.”

By Mark Randall