Decision on Mission Hills curbside Ripple Glass recycling program could come tonight

The Mission Hills City Council tonight is likely to make a decision about whether the city will be the first in the Kansas City area to have curbside glass recycling provided by Ripple Glass — with a series of questions from council members about how the program would be carried out and how the city would pay for it making the measure’s passage far from a sure thing.

The proposal worked out between the city and Ripple Glass would provide weekly curbside pickup at a cost of $3.75 per month — lower than established programs in Flagstaff, Ariz., Boise, Idaho, and Portland, Ore. But the city would have to work out how to pay the estimated $58,000 a year it would cost to serve the entire city. And council members have concerns about how noisy the collection would be, and how liability for broken glass left on the street or private property would be handled.

The council members have also taken into consideration feedback from Mission Hills homeowners. The city distributed feedback forms at a recent Joint Homes Association Meeting. Six residents submitted feedback on the recycling proposal, with five of the six lobbying against the proposed curbside pickup plan. Two of residents noted in their comment forms that it was too easy to take glass to the bins at Corinth Square or the Village Shops to necessitate a city-wide curbside program.

Jeff Krum of Ripple Glass is scheduled to appear at tonight’s City Council meeting to answer any questions council members have about the proposal.