A private group has come up with a possible solution for rising trash pickup costs.

At Monday’s city council meeting, Street Department Superintendent Ernie Evans told the council that some people are “abusing” the city’s trash pickup services. He showed them pictures of large piles of junk and trash that people throw into allies for pickup.

Tracy Cook of the Power House presented a plan to help the city reduce trash removal costs while employing some of the teenagers that frequent the Power House. He suggested he and the teens start a business picking up recyclable items for a $15 monthly subscription fee.

The teens want to pick up bags of recyclable items and haul them to the city’s recycling center, said Cook. They might also sort the materials.

“My goal is to create jobs for kids that don’t have one,” said Cook.

The group wants to borrow a trailer from the city to set up at various places throughout the city within walking distance of their pickup areas. They plan to start on Main Street, and seven business have already agreed to join the program. Cook said the group has also had interest from residential areas.

Not only will the business benefit the teens at the Powerhouse, the expected increase in recyclable material should benefit the city and Senior and Family Services, which currently has a contract with the city to receive some of the profit from selling the materials, said Cook and Haag. The city should also have less trash to haul to the landfill.

“I see nothing but win here,” said Haag.

He stressed that the Powerhouse group will provide their own transportation and take contracts for pickup privately. The city will not pay them, and they will not haul the borrowed trailer around the city.

The city council voted to allow a pilot partnership between Powerhouse and the city for 90 days.