Future of City Curbside Recycling Still Unknown

The city stopped its curbside recycling pickup service in April after the COVID-19 pandemic caused the city to furlough more than 100 people due to a decrease in revenue coming into the city.

A year later, it’s still unknown whether the city will be reimplementing the service now that employees have returned to work and businesses are now allowed to operate at full capacity.

Mayor Robyn Tannehill said that is a discussion the Oxford Board of Aldermen will have in the coming months.

“We will analyze that this summer as we set our budget for the coming year,” Tannehill said. “We hope to be able to begin curbside pick up, but in the meantime, we are encouraged that so many citizens continue to recycle by taking their recyclables to drop-off locations.”

The Oxford Recycling Center remains open for people to drop off their recyclables from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at the City Shop on Molly Barr Road.

In September, a private company, Recycle Mississippi, started providing curbside pickup in Oxford and Lafayette County.

Customers can choose from three plans that range from $8 to $12 a month, depending on whether you pay monthly or yearly. The plans offered are Standard: plastics, metals and paper/cardboard; All-Inclusive: plastics, metals, paper/cardboard and glass. There is also an option for Glass Only pickup.

Pick up is done every other Saturday morning.

Mississippi Recycling drops off everything they collect – except glass – to the Oxford facility off Molly Barr Road.

“Oxford Recycling has been great to work with,” said Seth Kelly with Recycle Mississippi. “We always send the recyclables that are collected directly to their recycling center, so as to not avoid congestion and build up at the drop-off areas. When we are unloading the recyclables, all the workers at the facility have been very helpful in making time for us on top of their already.”