City council votes to end curbside recycling in Chesapeake, Virginia

Chesapeake City Council has voted to eliminate the curbside recycling program in Chesapeake, Virginia. Based on the vote, the program is expected to end July 1, 2022. Chesapeake-based TFC Recycling is currently contracted to provide curbside recycling services to the city.

Chesapeake City Manager Chris Price’s proposal to cut the service stems from a need to pay for the city’s new compensation plan for sworn public safety employees. The city will offer $5,000 retention bonuses as part of a $13.1 million plan to retain police officers and other safety personnel. The program is the result of Virginia Beach offering sign-on bonuses to officers joining its police department due to labor issues caused by COVID-19, according to a report from WAVY-TV in Portsmouth, Virginia.

While council voted to end the program, city officials are working to bring it back. Michael Benedetto, owner and president of TFC Recycling, says his company and the city are discussing alternatives for recycling, including drop-off locations and offering a subscription service for those who want to continue recycling. However, it is unclear how either program would be implemented or when a plan will be determined.

If the program doesn't return, Benedetto says that 20 to 25 TFC employees could lose their jobs. There will be a financial impact on the company as well. Currently, the company collects the city’s recycling for about $4 million. The most recent contract was approved in 2017 and ends in October 2022. If the program is not brought back, the company will not get paid for the months not served on the contract, Benedetto says.

“We aren’t completely sure how this will impact our company,” Benedetto says. “Depending on if we can bring the program back or not, we will need to make changes to our organization as a result.”

TFC Recycling has been working with the city since its founding in 1973. It provides curbside recycling services for Virginia Beach, Suffolk and Nags Head, as well as for several Virginia Peninsula municipalities in the state. In Chesapeake, the company says it collects up to 16,000 tons of recycling from the city annually. The city has an 85 percent participation rate in its recycling program, Benedetto says.