Charlottesville, Virginia, partners with GBB on recycling study

Charlottesville, Virginia, has awarded a contract to solid waste management consultant Gershman Brickner Bratton Inc., McLean, Virginia, to study the efficiency of its recycling program.

The city awarded the $103,029 contract to GBB in January and has plans to conduct the recycling study through September, according to a report by local news outlet The Daily Progress. The contract also has an option for a route analysis and optimization study for waste and street sweeping routes, the outlet reports.

The study will review the city’s recycling program, contracts, resources and services with a goal to “increase services, maximize funding and improve efficiency,” according to the newspaper.

Charlottesville’s solid waste program operates at an annual deficit of around $800,000, the outlet says. The city has suspended its curbside yard waste collection program to save costs. In addition, the city’s McIntire Road Recycling Center, which is operated by Rivanna Solid Waste Authority and processes recycling and yard waste for Albemarle County and Charlottesville, has stopped accepting Nos. 3-7 plastics due to the downturn in the global recycling market, the outlet says.

GBB will make recommendations to city staff following the study.