Recycle center returns to full-time operation

Starting July 1, the Sisters Recycle Depot is open again seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The expanded hours are part of City-run trial designed to gather information about the way the depot is used and public support for it.

Last year, Deschutes County reduced its financial support of community recycling facilities, including the Sisters Recycle Depot, due to declining landfill revenues. The City responded by reducing the days of operation at the depot from seven to four days, keeping it open Friday through Monday, in order to be accessible on weekends. But the county intends to eliminate its support for the depot entirely by July 2013, prompting efforts to assess whether there is local support for the center.

The City of Sisters is conducting a survey of both city and county residents to determine their current use and their preferences for operation of the depot. The survey was included in the May High Country Disposal (HCD) statements with a deadline for response of July 15. The survey questions residents about their current use of the depot and whether and how residents would recycle if the depot were closed. The survey also asks if residents would be willing to pay higher garbage rates to support the depot.

The trial period is intended to collect information about the cost to operate the depot on a seven-day-a-week cycle. During the trial, HCD and City public works staff will provide limited staffing and monitoring of the facility. Data will be collected on operational costs such as hauling and staffing. Data on site conditions and required clean-up efforts will also be collected. Illegal dumping and contamination of recyclables are a concern. Usage data on volume changes between the times the depot is staffed and the times that it is not staffed will also be collected.

"A lot of the success of the trial period is going to depend on how responsible users are to keep operating costs as low as possible," said City Manager Eileen Stein.

For more information visit http://www.ci.sisters.or.us and click on the link to the Sisters Recycle Depot or call Paul Bertagna, Director of Public Works, at 541-323-5212.