The City of Grand Forks is seeking input on whether to move the recycle bins by the Second Street fire hall to the landfill.
“The only thing is we asked the downtown merchants group if there was any sort of feedback they want to give us on them,” said city CAO Doug Allin. “At this point right now, we’re just having the conversation. There’s really no intention to take them out at this point unless people want to see them go.”
Though many find the bins handy for dropping off bottles, cans and paper, there are those, including some in city council, who find the bins to be a troubling eyesore.
“I think that we have come to the conclusion that there is no way of keeping that site under control. It’s a mess; it draws a lot of people there to salvage beer bottles and various other returnables but we also have a lot of abuses there. People are dumping things like refrigerators and mattresses and all kinds of things that should be taken up to the landfill,” explained Mayor Brian Taylor.
Taylor feels that retaining the site in its present location is at odds with the city’s vision for the area.
“The last thing we want to do is have something that takes away from the aesthetics of that corner,” Taylor said. “We want to improve the look of that corner.”
He added that though council has not reached a final decision, he personally would like to see the recycling site eliminated. “I’m saying, ‘Let’s close it down.’ It is a convenience to some people to be able to delver their glass items and some other recyclables to that site, but in fact we have an extensive recycling program throughout the city,” he said.