Du Quoin recycling pickups to start April 2
Carts for recyclables will start being delivered this week to businesses and residences in Du Quoin, and the first pickup is likely to be on April 2, the owner of Revolution Recycling said on Monday.
Mike Huskey, owner of the Carbondale-based company, said he is in the process of calling customers to update them on the service.
"We will start delivering carts later this week, and should have all of them done by the end of March," Huskey said. April 2 is a Friday, which is likely the day of the week the trucks will collect recyclables in Du Quoin and Dowell, he added.
About three weeks ago, Huskey said five businesses in Du Quoin had registered for recycling pickups while residential customers had signed up for 38 carts. On Monday, Huskey said the numbers of both business and residential customers have grown - "the phone rings everyday" - but he didn't have exact numbers.
In any case, there are enough customers in Du Quoin to justify expanding the service here, Huskey said.
The same is not true in Pinckneyville, where the response has been "muted," and only a half dozen people have called to inquire. At the current time, Revolution Recycling will not start a weekly pickup there, Huskey said, although the company is keeping the names and contacts of people who called.
Huskey would like more commercial and industrial customers in Du Quoin, but his experience tells him that once the trucks are on Du Quoin streets people will want to sign up, he said.
"I have faith that good word-of-mouth will add more accounts over time, and the service will be able to endure the test of time and economics," he said in an email.
Revolution Recycling started in 2008 and since then has been collecting recyclables in Jackson County, mostly Carbondale and Murphysboro, and from a few customers in Union County.
Huskey said almost all of their clients in Jackson County are commercial, not residential.
Commercial and industrial recycling is what the business is built on, Huskey said, but in talks with Du Quoin officials he recognized that it was important to offer residential recycling here, too. The commercial pickups are what pay for the service, he added, and make it possible for Revolution Recycling to offer residential pickup.
Du Quoin's previous recycling program was cut from the 2021 budget after it wound up costing the city more money and staff time than it wanted to spend, as people were leaving non-recyclable or prohibited items both in and around the three recycling bins placed around the city.
Revolution Recycling will provide 95-gallon carts on wheels for cardboard and mixed paper, and 65-gallon carts for glass, metal and plastics 1 & 2. Each cart from Revolution Recycling requires a $50 deposit, and pickup costs are $5 per service for one or two carts; $4 per service for customers who have three to five carts; and $3 per service for customers with six or more carts.
Huskey said he expects the commercial and industrial customers to schedule once a week pickups, while residential customers will call the company when they want a pickup. Neighbors can go in on the carts together, suggested Du Quoin City Commissioner Jill Kirkpatrick.
For questions or to sign up for service, call (877) 316-1776; visit RecycleWhereYouWork.com or email RecycleWhereYouWork@gmail.com.