Recycling has not proven to be economical service for the City of the Uvalde other than keeping waste out of the City’s landfill.
by Michael Robinson |Uvalde Hesperian
08-21-25
Last week, City of Uvalde Finance Director Sasha Ricks gave a presentation on the proposed Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget to the Uvalde City Council at the August 12th meeting.
During the budget presentation, it was revealed that the City of Uvalde Recycling Center is operating in the red. Income for the Center is budgeted at $10.000 while expenses are listed at $163,044.
According to discussion among city council members, the center is no longer accepting plastic items for recycling or glass.
The city’s recycling center is budgeted under the City’s Sanitation budget.
“The recycling center: it’s not a money-making deal. The primary value to us is removing stuff from the waste stream so it doesn’t end up on in the landfill. It is still a valuable service to provide,” City Manager Vince DiPiazza said.
The City’s recycling center accepts aluminum, cardboard, tin cans and newspaper.
“We do sell recyclables when we can, but a lot of stuff eventually ends up in the landfill,’ he said.
City Manager Vice DiPiazza said the majority of the cost of the recycling center is for personnel citing there are two people that work at the center.
It (recycling) hasn’t lived up to the promise we learned when we were kids.” Piazza said.
“Recycling is expensive,” Councilman Ernest “Chip” King said.
Piazza said that brush collection is also a service the city provides that costs more than the revenue it receives.
The city has budgeted $90,000 revenue for brush collection with expense listed at $311,847.
