Randy Reeder

A former Portage mayor worries that ending curbside recycling pickup could pose challenges for those who may be unable to take items to recycling centers themselves. Portage ended curbside pickup in February because those items weren't actually being recycled, due to the amount of trash placed in the toters. Hobart followed suit this week.

Portage may soon be ending curbside recycling pickup. Due to the amount of trash being put in recycling toters, the city's contractor put the recycling program on suspension in 2021. That means nothing going in the recycling toters is actually being recycled, according to a Facebook post last week from Mayor Austin Bonta.

The city of Portage continues moving its fleet of garbage trucks to compressed natural gas. The city recently purchased seven CNG trucks with a grant from the Indiana Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund.

The city of Portage is already seeing a cost savings by moving its garbage truck fleet to compressed natural gas. Street Superintendent Randy Reeder says the city's first CNG truck costs the city less than $27 per day in fuel costs, compared to almost $91 for the city's newest diesel truck.