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The Public Safety Committee recommended the Town Council approve a plan for one or two companies to manage the island's trash and recycling collection.
The proposal would provide for pickup at least once a week. It excludes residences where trash is placed in Dumpsters and commercial properties. The town would address those recycling needs in a later, second phase, said committee member and town councilman John Safay.
Residents who opt out of the plan would have to haul their garbage and recycling to the county's dump site on the island.
Six companies provide waste removal on the island. In some cases, residents can pay their private haulers extra to recycle, but recycling is not required.
"People on the island who have their recycling hauled away collectively spend about $5 million a year," said James Frey, CEO of Resource Recycling Systems, a consultant hired by the town to develop the proposal. "This plan would save about $1 million to $1.5 million a year."
Private waste haulers could bid for a five-year contract, Frey said.
The town would seek bids for a separate contract to process the waste and recycling materials.
The plan also proposes incentives, which would allow a household that recycles to earn points that could be redeemed for goods and services.
Discussions on mandatory recycling began in earnest last year. The town's current recycling performance is poor and conflicts with its stated goal of being environmentally friendly, Frey said.
The plan would take effect in September if approved by the council. Islanders who already have recycling contracts with haulers could continue to use those haulers for one year, Safay said.
Safay said the process to develop the recycling plan has been arduous.
"We've had a lot of going around in circles on this issue, but I think it's been necessary to get where we are," he said.
The proposal would go next to the Town Council's March 16 meeting, Safay said.
