The Town of Huntington is preparing to change its recycling program because of a significant global decline in the value recycled materials.
It could mean the end of single-stream recycling, and a shift back to the need to separate plastics and paper trash.
Huntington will send its last collection of mixed recyclables to Green Stream Recycling in Brookhaven on Wednesday. That company said this week that it could no longer handle the work produced by single-stream waste because China decided to reduce the purchase of American recyclables.
The town is looking to hire another service to handle town recyclables.
John Clark, environmental waste management director said the town sent out requests for proposal last week, which will be opened on Nov. 9. A new contract with the low bidder would take effect Jan.1.
“In the meantime,” Clark said, “we are already in the process of reaching out to potential recycling vendors and other municipalities to execute a two month arrangement which would get us through the end of the year under our single stream recycling mode.”