The Fountain Hills Sunset Kiwanis Club has removed a bank of recycling bins it had in place for public use in the parking lot at the Kiwanis Activity Center on Kiwanis Drive.

The bins were removed this past Memorial Day weekend, according to Sunset Kiwanis board member Hank Cipolaro.

Cipolaro said abuse at the site had become untenable. People had been using the site as a dumping ground – not a recycling site.

It was not uncommon to find items ranging from old television sets to mattresses and any manner of other trash left behind, according to Cipolaro.

Club members would clean up the area, placing most of the non-recyclables in the trash bin at the club activity center. That quite often resulted in an additional charge from the trash collector.

The additional charges for collection plus decreasing fees the club received for the recycled material has created a situation the club can no longer tolerate.

In 2011 when trash collection was being hotly debated in Fountain Hills, the recycling bank became a key element of the discussion. Opponents to the single hauler trash program noted the curbside recycling would take away from the collectors, like Kiwanis, who were supporting charities and youth groups in town.

Part of a compromise had Kiwanis expanding its recycling bank to welcome condo and apartment dwellers who would not have curbside service.

The debate also led to the creation of the Republic Rewards program designed by the town’s dedicated hauler to support local charities. The company has taken the program nationwide.

“We really feel bad about having to do this,” Cipolaro said. “It is no longer a profitable fundraiser.”

The town had also developed a recycling bank of collection bins in the Library parking lot. The program was discontinued for similar reasons that Kiwanis is addressing.

Mayor Linda Kavanagh said she is sorry to see the Kiwanis collection site discontinued.

“I’m disappointed that the recycle bins are no longer going to be located at the Kiwanis building,” Kavanagh said. “Many residents sorted their recyclables and brought them to the bins knowing that would generate money for the Kiwanis charities like the Boy Scouts, Children’s Hospital and high school scholarships.

“It’s sad that some people abused the bins by dumping trash that had to be disposed of by the club. This is a great loss to Kiwanis, their charities and our town.”