The company that picks up garbage from many Whidbey Island residents is moving forward with plans to add recycling to curbside service in all the areas it serves.

Andrew Riggs of Island Disposal presented the company’s proposal to Island County commissioners on Wednesday. The company first announced plans to offer the service last year. Since then, the Island County Solid Waste Advisory Committee recommended approval of the proposal and staff agreed.

Riggs said adding curbside recycling would cost residents an extra $6.50 a month, though they might be able to effectively reduce the bill by opting for a smaller garbage container size.

The commissioners, however, asked for additional information before deciding whether to approve the idea. Once the company gets the commissioners’ blessing, it can submit a proposed level of service plan and the cost increase to the Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission.

Island Disposal provides roadside trash pickup in unincorporated areas of Whidbey as well as Langley and Coupeville. Currently, only Oak Harbor and Coupeville residents have curbside pickup of recyclables.

Riggs pointed to the environmental benefits of recycling. The nation has an estimated 18 years worth of landfill space remaining, he said.

Riggs said a recycling program could prevent huge amounts of trash from ending up in a landfill.

“A fun fact about that 2,300 estimated tons diverted,” he said. “That’s the weight of the Kennewick ferry that goes between Coupeville and Port Townsend. That’s the estimated amount of recyclable material that can be realistically diverted from the waste stream.”

The commissioners questioned Riggs about glass. He explained that the curbside pickup would not include glass pickup because it breaks and contaminates the other recyclable materials. In addition, he said the market for recyclable glass isn’t great.

In fact, Skagit County currently isn’t accepting glass bottles for recycling at the transfer station. In addition, Tacoma is temporarily hauling glass meant for recycling to the landfill instead.

The problem is the lack of demand worldwide for recyclable glass. Because of this, there’s currently only one company accepting recyclable glass in the state, according to James Sylvester, assistant public works director. For now, he said, the glass collected at the county’s transfer station is still hauled away to be recycled.

Island Disposal trucks all of the recyclables to Pioneer Recycling in Tacoma. The company is able to recycle about 82% of the material it receives. Much of the un-recyclable materials are due to glass contamination, Riggs said.

Riggs explained that glass usually isn’t recycled back into glass but has other uses. It can be crushed, for example, and used in pavement. The Department of Ecology reported that crushed glass can also be used instead of sand to cover landfills.

Island County Commissioner Jill Johnson said a previous effort to start curbside recycling faltered partly because of the lack of glass pickup. She said that means people still have to haul glass to a recycling area, albeit less often.

In the end, the commissioners asked Riggs and county staff to bring back the presentation with some clearer data about costs and other issues. While all three commissioners expressed support for the proposal, Johnsad emphasized that the information should be honest about both the pros and cons.