Jill Schramm/MDN Garbage carts line a street in southeast Minot. The Minot City Council wants to know from residents whether they would participate in recycling collection as well.

The Minot City Council wants to know what residents think about curbside recycling. Council members on Monday discussed a possible survey or even a ballot vote next June to gauge the public’s sentiments and determine whether residents will participate.

Following another recycling presentation by the Public Works Department, council members indicated they are ready to move forward but need guidance from the community. Options for gaining that guidance include an online poll, more statistically accurate polling costing about $8,000 or a June vote.

Council President Mark Jantzer said he would not favor a poll that produced questionable results.

“I would rather spend a relatively small amount of money to get statistically valid information,” he said.

“I think we need to get to a decision on this issue. We’ve been kicking this and kicking this and kicking this, and it’s time for us to act in some form or another,” council member Josh Wolsky said. “I don’t think we need to vote on this. I think we’ve got the information. We probably have information overkill at this particular point.”

Mayor Shaun Sipma requested staff bring a proposal for a June ballot measure to the Dec. 16 council meeting, at which time the council could make a decision on how it wishes to proceed.

Jason Sorenson, assistant public works director, outlined a potential single-stream, curbside program with six collections a month, of which two would be recycling with 95-gallon containers. People could initially opt out but only for their existing locations. Residents who move or new residents could not opt out. A recycling manager would be hired, and recyclables with the exception of glass would be taken.

Sorenson’s suggestion did not include business recycling. He said because the city doesn’t collect waste from businesses now, to include them in curbside recycling would require engaging private haulers and developing appropriate landfill tipping fees for recyclable waste.

“It opens up a lot of wormholes to chase and a lot of what if this and what if that,” Sorenson said.

Sorenson’s calculations showed a fiscal surplus of about $120,000 in 2021, the first year of operations. Going forward, the surplus dwindles, and after about 2030, rates would have to be adjusted to remain in the black.

The numbers make several assumptions, including an initial 50% participation rate, transport costs of $115 a ton to Minneapolis and $75 a ton for processing. Sorenson projected a 50-cent increase in the 65-gallon cart and $1 increase for the 95-gallon cart to create a $2 difference between current sizes. The rates would be $14.72 for a 35-gallon cart, $15.72 for 65 gallons and $18.72 for 95 gallons.

Wolsky supported a voluntary program that partners with the local Kalix recycling center to take the waste and with local haulers to collect the waste.

“I want to see us develop competitive models throughout the community to let private businesses figure out the best way to do what we need done,” he said.

Kalix has capacity to handle Minot’s recyclables, although its director has stated the organization is not interested in single stream because it would require significant investment.

“I think we want to pick three or four key materials that we want to recycle and the responsibility goes to us, the citizens, to sort and get those to the curb,” Wolsky said.

“We use far too much money to make this viable in a single-stream type system,” he added. “This single-stream mentality is really hiding from us the true culprit, which is this disposable lifestyle that we seem to be have accepted, almost unknowingly, over the last 30 years. As a result of that particular lifestyle, I think we have hidden a lot of costs from ourselves and we have passed a lot of costs on to the end of the line.”

Mayor Shaun Sipma said he can’t see people changing their lifestyles to sort recyclables.

“I just don’t think that the community itself would do enough to impact what it is that I think many people want, and that’s recycling,” he said.

Jantzer voiced optimism that discussions are moving the city toward a potential solution.

“From the beginning, it has kind of appeared like it’s one of those things it’s nice to have but maybe not practical, maybe not financially easy to do,” Jantzer said of recycling “It appears we worked our way to where maybe it’s something closer to what we can all live with.”