Claridon Trustees Shocked by Higher Paper Recycling Costs

February 6, 2020 by Ann Wishart

A letter from River Valley Paper Company set Claridon Township Trustees on edge regarding paper and cardboard at the township recycle center.

Trustee Cooper Sherman received an emailed letter Feb. 3 from the Akron company explaining why they will be changing their bin rental and collection policy as of April 1.

“They’re calling it the Amazon effect,” Sherman told other trustees during their meeting Monday. “They’re getting too much cardboard.”

In addition to a surplus of cardboard in the recycle market, one of the largest buyers of the materials in the U.S. is China, which has changed its quality regulations, he said.

Fiscal Officer Paula Jolly said the township has been receiving $50 from River Valley each time the bins are emptied.

According to the letter, River Valley will be charging $35 per month for rent on each of the township’s six bins and $50 per bin per pickup. Jolly said it will cost the township $410 per month to provide the paper and cardboard recycle bins.

A rebate on the material collected is part of the new payment schedule, Sherman said.

Trustees have spent time and money over the last five years to secure and improve its recycle yard on state Route 322 where residents can deposit plastic, metal, paper and cardboard.

“The whole thing is a money pit,” said Trustee Roger Miller.

One alternative he suggested would be to eliminate the bins and residents can take their paper and cardboard to the bins at the Merritt Road recycling yard.

That would help solve the problem of bin overflow and material blowing into the neighbor’s yard, he said.

“We’ll have to talk about it real soon and make changes,” Miller said.

The River Valley letter states the paper markets are depressed around the world so paper mills are paying less for the waste paper they buy.

“Without question, the increased quality requirements from China, coupled with massive drop in pricing, has caused many cities and municipalities to re-evaluate their recycling programs or discontinue their curbside service. This has resulted in excessive amounts of cardboard being generated from our municipal sources. These factors have forced River Valley Paper to revise the structure for our bin program for all municipality recycling programs,” reported Melinda Valentine, River Valley sales representative.

Russell Township received a letter from River Valley, as well, said township Fiscal Officer Karen Walder.

Russell Township’s payment from River Valley was reduced to $15 per ton for paper and cardboard in August, she said, adding trustees have not discussed the new price structure yet.

The recycle yards located in many townships are operated by the Geauga-Trumbull Solid Waste Management District based in Warren.

Director Jennifer Jones said she became aware of the changes River Valley announced Monday and she has found a solution.

Royal Oak Recycling is willing to take on the collection for free, she said.

Royal Oak headquarters are in Michigan, but it has facilities in Cleveland and Pittsburgh, according to its website.

Jones said she was really surprised by River Valley’s major changes because the demand for the materials is strong enough that some paper mills have opened or reopened recently to accommodate the glut in used cardboard and paper.

The Amazon effect primarily refers to the increase in cardboard packaging some curbside services have experienced, according to David Biderman, executive director of the Solid Waste Association of North America.

“It peaks around the holidays, particularly as online shopping has only gotten more popular,” he wrote on the online edition of “The Verge” in December 2019.

Jones said the Royal Oak spokesperson said the company is willing to take on the bins in Geauga County.

“We don’t want (paper and cardboard) going into the waste stream,” she said over the phone Tuesday. “The service provider may change, but the service will not.”