By Rebecca Carballo for Charleston Gazette-Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Current city law in Charleston only allows plastic bags to be used to recycle, but the city’s Environmental and Recycling Committee is looking at bins as an additional option for residents.
The city’s free recycling bag voucher program officially ended July 1 with the start of the new fiscal year. The trash and recycling bags were among the many cuts made to plug a $3 million budget hole.
Since residents now have to pay for bags, Environment and Recycling Chairman John Bailey is looking for ways to help them use fewer bags. He introduced a bill at city council Monday night that would allow people to use bins for all recycling materials except paper or cardboard.
Paper and cardboard materials would still need to be put in plastic bags to avoid getting wet. Once paper and cardboard become wet the materials can no longer be sold and properly recycled. …