As the popularity of curbside recycling has increased throughout Frederick County, the need  for satellite drop-off locations has sharply declined. The Frederick Board of County Commissioners will be considering today whether or not to close some or all of the 11 drop-off sites located in the county.  If all sites were to be closed, the county would save an estimated  $539,163 in FY 2012.   The Gazette reports:

With the success of the single-stream curbside recycling program, the need for duplication has diminished,” said Kevin Demosky, acting director of Frederick County’s Division of Utilities and Solid Waste Management. “The need [for drop-off centers] has kind of diminished.”

The county provides curbside recycling to residents who live in single-family homes. The cost of the program in fiscal 2011 is $4 million. For fiscal 2012, which begins July 1, the county has budgeted $4.5 million.

Demosky will present commissioners Thursday with three options to consider.

The first option is to close the 11 sites, leaving open the one at the Reich’s Ford Road landfill.

The second option is to close all sites in the unincorporated parts of the county, leaving the centers in the municipalities open. The municipalities would have the option to decide if they want the Dumpsters, and if so, they would enter into a rental agreement with the county. Under the rental agreement, the municipality would pay the recycling collection costs.

The municipalities include Brunswick, Frederick, Middletown, Thurmont and Walkersville.

Under the third option, the sites would be consolidated into regions — northern, southern, eastern and western. One drop-off center would remain open in each region.

Thurmont’s Eyler Park would service the northern region of the county, Middletown Park in the western region, the Brunswick Sports Complex in the southern region, and the Mount Pleasant Ruritan in the eastern region.

Demosky said county staff is recommending that commissioners adopt the first option, and close 11 sites, leaving open the Reich’s Ford Road landfill site only.