Recycling will again be offered in Newcastle, but not as a service of the City of Newcastle.
Fertile Ground Cooperative, of Oklahoma City, has approached the City Council and received its blessing, to not only provide a recycling service here, but also they will later provide a composting service.
Lisa Brewer, who works for Fertile Ground and is a Newcastle resident, told the council the service is completely optional for residents, and not a mandate by the City. She said the company would need 100 houses to take part at $21.65 per month, per household, in a bi-weekly pickups at curbside of 96-gallon bins they provide.
Residences taking part would place their number 1, 2 and 5 plastics, steel cans, aluminum, paper and cardboard goods in the container to be hauled away and recycled. No glass can be recycled at this time because the State of Oklahoma calls it a contaminant, Brewer said.
Terry Craghead, founder of Fertile Ground Cooperative, said, “Recycling has had its ups and downs over the years, but right now is a great time to start. Commodity prices have stabilized and new opportunities abound for recycled material to see new life. We look forward to bringing recycling to Newcastle, and making the beautiful city even greener.”
The program will start as a sign up and as soon as they have 100 houses, they can begin the service here. There is a one-time setup fee and costs begin at $21.65 per month.
Craghead said as the program grows and more residents sign up, discounts are offered and the savings are passed along.
Fertile Ground Cooperative serves the Nichols Hills area, other neighborhoods in Oklahoma City metro including Moore, Norman and Lake Aluma. They plan to advertise in Newcastle through social media and yard signs.
After a presentation by Brewer to the City Council at their June meeting, Mayor Karl Nail said at first he was concerned this was something that would cost every citizen in Newcastle, but as it was proposed, only those individuals who want the service will have to pay.
“I think it is a pretty good deal for those who feel like this is something that they want to do, and it does not place any additional burden on those who do not want to participate,” Nail said.
He added that recycling has been proposed a couple of times in Newcastle, but each time the residents voted down mandatory recycling. He said the way this is proposed is a win-win for the residents.
More information is online at https://www.fertilegroundok. coop/newcastle-recycles.
