Recycling program has dual purposes

By GINA KINSLOW

TOMPKINSVILLE — City officials are hoping a new recycling program will be a cost saving measure for the city, while at the same time having a positive impact on younger generations by teaching them the importance of recycling.

The city received a $96,832.76 grant from the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet to help launch the recycling program. Tompkinsville was one of 38 cities and counties to receive such a grant, which requires a 25 percent local match in either monetary or in-kind contributions.

“Basically, we applied to have a recycling program from scratch,” said commissioner Richard Jackson.

The grant money will be used to purchase a forklift, a baler, recycling containers, recycling trailers and other equipment.

City officials are interested in launching a recycling program for two reasons.

“I guess we are going to try to make a positive impact on our (younger) generation by recycling anything we can,” he said. “The second reason is the financial perspective. We can save money but also generate revenue by collecting and reselling our recyclables.”

The city takes its trash to Upper Cumberland Solid Waste in Moss, Tenn. The city’s landfill bill averages $5,600 per month.

In October 2008, the commission standardized its sanitation rates and purchased 96 gallon garbage receptacles for city residents to use. Those two measures saved the city around $38,000 and Jackson expects the city to save another $30,000 to $40,000 with the new recycling program.

“That would be my personal expectation,” he said.

This is not the first time the city has attempted to launch a recycling program. It had one in the past, but it was for commercial businesses only. The new recycling program will be both commercial and residential.

“It’s going to be a stair step process,” Jackson said. “It’s going to be our intentions to start out with what we can handle, which will be commercial and residential (recycling) picked up on a weekly basis.”

One of the hurdles for the program is getting city residents in the habit of separating recyclable materials from their trash, he said.

The city is hoping to work with the Monroe County School System and the Monroe County Medical Center in implementing the recycling program.

The city applied for grant funds with hopes of using the money to purchase a shredder truck so that it may shred patient-sensitive materials at the hospital, but it did not receive that funding.

Ricky Brown, chief financial officer for the Monroe County Medical Center, said hospital officials have spoken with commissioners about the program.

“We are interested in working with them,” he said. “We do have a lot of paper that we have to get rid of and this is a good opportunity to dispose of that and also help the city.”

Brown said the hospital was hoping the city could have gotten the shredder truck so the city could have shredded the hospital’s patient-sensitive materials.

“Currently, we have to pay a company to come in and shred it on sight so we can see it and make sure all the privacy issues are followed,” he said. “Once they get (the shredder truck) that will be very helpful to us.”

The city has an agreement in place with the Monroe County School System.

“We are providing them with the small containers to put in each classroom and office, as well as larger containers for the storage of recyclables for us to come pick them up,” Jackson said. “The schools have agreed to provide the recyclables to us and have agreed to help us with this project in exchange for us to make available our recycling center and recycling coordinator for educational opportunities.”

Rondal Hammer, facilities director for the school system, said school district officials have told city commissioners that they would work with them on the program any way they can.

Area counties that also qualified for grant funding through the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet are: Barren Fiscal Court, $30,000, and Allen County Fiscal Court, $62,682.21.