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Recycling Fee Proposed in Sunbury

SUNBURY — The recycling center at the Sunbury Municipal Authority Transfer Center is a busy place on Fridays. People drop off bags filled with recyclables...

SUNBURY -- The recycling center at the Sunbury Municipal Authority Transfer Center is a busy place on Fridays. People drop off bags filled with recyclables. Right now, they do that for free, but that could soon change. Officials at the center are considering a 50 cent recycling fee for each visit.

"We've been losing money in recycling for quite a while and it's just another opportunity for us to try to balance our budget," Danny Ramer said.

The recycling center's annual budget is $160,000, and right now material sales and other fees only bring in about $100,000.

Officials believe the 50 cent recycling fee will bring in about $20,000 a year and allow the facility to stay open.

"I guess they're losing money left and right. I don't see where 50 cents is going to help them, but if it does, fine," Chuck Sabornie said.

"No way. No way at all. This would have gone to the landfill. It's plastic. It's glass. To come here to pay," Carol Chamberlin said.

Carol Chamberlin of Sunbury has been coming to the recycling center for eight years.

"Everything is clean. Everything is marked. It would discourage a lot of people, and that's not right. We need to recycle," Chamberlin said.

If the fee is approved, there will be a machine similar to a toll booth set up. People would pay 50 cents before they drive into the recycling center. The board will decide whether to implement the fee at its meeting on Tuesday. If board members vote yes, the fee could start being charged as early as May.

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