CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — A referendum to reinstate a recycling program in Chesapeake with a mandatory fee of up to $10 per month failed.

It stated: “Should city council adopt an ordinance imposing mandatory fees of up to ten dollars per month on all households that receive trash service in order to reestablish curbside recycling for those households only?” 

More than 62% of residents voted no and just over 37% of residents voted yes. 

For now, residents will continue to use one of the many drop off sites located across the city to recycle, with all but the City Park and Deep Creek Park locations accessible 24/7.

“They have resulted in a cleaner stream of recycling, but we’ve seen the amount of recycling be reduced so much because it’s an inconvenience for people,” said Lacy Shirey, co-founder of Chesapeake Recycles.  

Chesapeake Recycles is a citizen-formed group that’s been lobbying city council for more than two years to bring back the curbside recycling program after it was taken away.

“The referendum did not pass, but it’s because we feel citizens did not want a recycling tax,” Shirey said Wednesday. “Our exit polls showed that citizens do overwhelmingly support recycling and that they feel it’s a core service that should be offered by our city, which is why we feel that our city should use a fraction of the surplus that they have $160 million to reinstate the curbside recycling program.” 

The city sent 10 On Your Side a statement about the situation Wednesday that reads as follows: 

“With 66 out of 68 precincts reporting, 45,396 Chesapeake citizens voted “Yes” and 74,758 voted “No” in the Curbside Recycling Advisory Referendum vote. The results of this non-binding Advisory Referendum will be provided to the City Council for their possible consideration in any future discussions of recycling. The city’s existing drop-off recycling sites remain open and will continue to be modified to best serve the demand in the community.  These results remain unofficial until certified by the Chesapeake Electoral Board.”  

For Shirey, she hopes the newly-elected city council members will help them accomplish their goals, because they’re not giving up. 

“We look forward to working with them, and our goal is to have curbside recycling reinstated in the next budget cycle, and without a fee to our citizens,” Shirey said. “We have been working on this for far too long, and it’s time for us to turn this around and bring it back.” 

For more information about the city’s existing drop off recycling sites, click here.

Back in July, then-newly reelected Mayor Rick West said that he was reluctant to vote yes on a referendum, as the city looks to potentially work with Southeastern Public Service Authority on a one-bin process in the near future.