If you pass by the Walmart on 7th Avenue in Bozeman, you probably see recycling bins in the area. In a few days, that will change.
“I had no idea, and it's been really convenient and why are they getting rid of them?" asked one resident who uses the bins.
Watch the story here:
A steady stream of people use the Walmart recycling bins every day.
“It’s been one of the popular sites. It’s been there for a long time and a lot of people have been accustomed that that site is there,” said Jim Simon, the district manager for the Gallatin Solid Waste Management District.
Now, the recycling bins are being removed.
“It was a request by the property owner, and it’s mainly due to the congestion and the safety concerns and the amount of traffic going through there. It makes it difficult to service the site with the large equipment that has to service a revolving site. And so in interest to make things safer, we have to relocate or remove the site,” Simon told me.
What happens next?
“In our landfill or if the material does ship out and gets rejected, it'll end up in a landfill in another state. But if it's here locally, it'll eventually end up in our landfill,” said Simon.
Recycling in Bozeman and the rest of Gallatin County is still available.
“There's other alternatives besides our program. The City of Bozeman offers a curbside collection recycling program, Republic Waste Services, LNL Site Services and a local company called Going Green can also provide some assistance with curbside assistance as well,” said Simon.
Back at Walmart, people I talked to are upset they won’t be able to recycle here anymore.
“Maybe I'm probably going to spend my money somewhere else if these things disappear, not only because it's convenient, but it's the right thing to do for the community,” said the resident who was recycling.
For more information about alternative recycling locations in Bozeman, click here.
