Two years ago when curbside-recycling efforts first began in our community, we were a bit skeptical about the program’s success.

Our concern then, and the problem now realized, is that not enough households participate at a level high enough to make the venture marginally profitable.

When we expressed those concerns in 2013, some people mistook our concern for being anti-recycling. That’s not the case at all.

We’re all for recycling. We support the cause on many levels, but recognize the financial challenges curbside recycling programs face, particularly in a relatively rural area such as ours.

At the moment approximately two out of 10 households that have the opportunity to recycle household goods actually do so.

The firm contracted to pick up the recycling suggests at current commodity prices they lose approximately $60 per ton of recycled goods collected.

If those numbers are accurate and remain so, the program will end next year unless something changes.

Solutions likely include either some mechanism to drastically increase the number of households who recycle or charging all customers extra fees to cover the costs.

The City of Natchez has formed a task force to consider how the recycling program can be saved, if it makes financial sense to do so.

We hope and encourage that group to include all the players — city and county government officials, recycling providers and members of the public — into their future meeting.

Any discussions on the future of recycling and the potential costs of any changes that may be passed along to residents need to be fully transparent.

Recycling makes sense for the environment, and we should work hard to make it make sense for residents, too.