Effective immediately, operation of the joint Community Recycle Center located on the Texas A&M University-Commerce campus has come to an end.
According to a university press release, along with information obtained from Commerce City Hall, the reasons behind the decision include the rising costs of the program, the limited effectiveness stemming from misuse of the recycled collection bins, and a general lack of education with regard to how the recycling program was meant to function.
Non-recyclable material was regularly deposited in the bins, leading to a great deal of effort to separate the material, when possible, and sometimes to the labeling of the bin as “contaminated” by the recycling contractor, preventing the recycling of the bin’s contents.
Operation of the recycling center, located on campus lot 16 (at the corner of Campbell and Walnut streets in Commerce,) had been assisted by Commerce Cares Recycling, a volunteer group unaffiliated with A&M-Commerce, but opted to end their efforts in 2020 after months struggling to, “clean up after citizens who fail to follow recycling guidelines,” according to a campus news article from June of that year.
The press release shares that alternate recycling options for Commerce residents include the Walmart in Sulphur Springs, which recently introduced a Community Recycling Unit that accepts specific plastic, paper, and aluminum items.
