Town to Collect Obsolete Recycling Bins

OCEAN CITY—Shutting down the recycling program in Ocean City won’t be as easy as a mere unanimous vote, as the Public Works department is now tasked with the job of collected the thousands of large receptacles distributed throughout the resort.

Now that the town has announced its plans to shut down and outsource the recycling program in Ocean City, city residents and businesses are left with the daunting task of trying to figure out what to do with the receptacles that were either given to them, or in the case of some condominium residents, purchased from the town.

Public Works Deputy Director Dick Malone said the last week of April will mark the final collection for recycling in Ocean City, and the receptacles that have become a staple in homes, restaurants, and various locations throughout the resort will simply disappear.

“If residents want to keep the blue bins that the city gave them, they are more than welcome to do that,” said Malone “As for the big bins that restaurants and bars use, we will be taking those on April 26, but as for the 90-gallon and 300-gallon bins that were purchased by some of the condominiums, the council has voted to buy those back.”

In the past few years, a Mayor and City Council-approved condo-side recycling program has seen the purchase of 1853 of the 90 gallon bins bought at $75 a pop, while 257 of the 300-gallon receptacles were purchased by condominiums at $300 a pop.

The Mayor and City Council voted unanimously to offer a pro-rated buy back program for the 90- and 300-gallon bins that were purchased in the last few years by various condominium associations.

“We are going to be sending a letter to every resident and business about what this change is going to mean for them and it will inform them on how to get a check from us if they would like to sell back there 90- or 300-gallon bins,” said Malone.  “There is a sunset date on that however, as we need to get those bins by June 1.”

Drop off receptacles at Worcester Street, 39th, 66th, 94th and 130th Streets will all be removed by April 30. The council did hope, however, that people would continue to use the Worcester County recycling drop bins, such as the ones in the Wal-Mart parking lot on Route 50 if they’d like to continue their own personal recycling efforts.

“The decision to no longer have a town-managed recycling program was a difficult one for everyone involved,” said Mayor Rick Meehan. “But ultimately our goal was to find a way to reduce expenses while maintaining a commitment to the environment. Due to the proximity of county-run recycling centers and our continued use of solid waste to produce clean renewable energy, we believe this solution will achieve that.”