Sisters recycle center cut to four days

The Sisters Recycle Depot will be open Friday through Monday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. as operations are reduced from seven days to four days per week.

Increased hauling costs for recyclable materials and cutbacks in Deschutes County financial support for recycling centers around the county led to the reduction.

"Deschutes County has notified the city it will not support the Sisters Recycle Depot beyond fiscal year 2011-2012," said Sisters City Manager Eileen Stein.

The depot will continue to accept all recyclable materials currently taken at the facility. With the introduction of curbside pickup in the areas around the Sisters city limits last year by High Country Disposal, the volume of commingled material at the Sisters Recycle Depot has dropped. The depot is used regularly for recycling of glass and motor oil, which are not picked up curbside.

The City of Sisters reports that city staff will continue to work with High Country Disposal to explore what to do with the $416,000 facility in future years if financial support for the facility cannot be sustained. One option may be to introduce curbside pick-up for glass and motor oil. Another option may be to consider other uses of the facility.

The city council is interested in hearing from the public about how best to recycle glass and motor oil products. The city will be conducting further community outreach in the near future. For more information call city hall at 541-549-6022.