St. Petersburg Edges Closer to Universal Curbside Recycling

Tampa Bay Times

Curbside recycling moved closer to reality Thursday as City Council members advanced a proposal to buy new trucks and containers using a $6 million loan.

The money would buy seven trucks and 80,000 recycling containers, but the details of when the program will start and how much it will cost remained unanswered.

Some council members said they were uneasy about approving the loan before hearing the details of the program — still being finalized.

But City Administrator Gary Cornwell promised to deliver at least an outline of how the city plans to provide the service at next Thursday's council meeting.

Meanwhile, the city needs to move quickly to lock down a bargain bank loan, said Anne Fritz, city finance director. Hancock Bank's $6,075,000 loan at 1.44 percent interest over eight years was a great deal for the city, she said.

In the end, the City Council's Budget, Finance and Taxation Committee unanimously approved going ahead with the loan — the latest twist in a delayed campaign promise of Mayor Rick Kriseman.

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