By MELANIE THOMAS
GLASGOW — The Barren County recycling program received a $20,591 grant from the Commonwealth to further efforts to reduce the amount of solid waste going into landfills.
Gov. Ernie Fletcher announced Thursday that 26 recycling programs across the state would receive $2.3 million in state grants from the Kentucky Pride Fund.
The money will go toward buying a recycling trailer that will be used at community events to promote an environmentally healthy outlook for Barren County, said Barren County solid waste coordinator Shannon White.
“We want to try to get recyclable material out of the waste stream, or the landfill,” White said. “(Those materials) can come back to use again and be reused.”
The trailer will have a multi-bin access for different recyclable materials — paper, glass, plastic and aluminum cans.
“We want to keep this stuff out of the landfill,” White said.
The landfill isn’t full but it’s important to save space in the landfill, he said.
The city of Glasgow already has a recycling trailer and a recycling truck.
The county’s recycling program applied for the grant in March, filling out extensive paperwork and sending it to Frankfort for evaluation.
White said he hopes to start putting in bids and purchase a recycling trailer later in the month.
Other local counties receiving grants include Logan and Adair counties.
The demand for recyclable materials is high, White said.
“Recycling not only benefits our environment, it also benefits our economy,” Fletcher said in a written statement. “Recycling helps reduce litter, extends the lifespan of ... landfills and creates markets for materials with recycled content.”
The recycling grant program aims to enhance Kentucky’s recycling infrastructure and boost the state’s household recycling rate to above the national average of 28.5 percent.
Kentucky is currently at 27 percent.
“We should not be satisfied with a recycling rate that is merely average,” Fletcher said.
