Published: August 19, 2008 11:32 am         

Recycling center opens Monday

Will operate 24 hours a day

The city and county’s new recycling center will open Monday, as Laurel County takes a giant step toward sending 75 percent less garbage to its landfill.

The center is located near the Laurel County Fire Department and Bingo Zone on TLC Lane off East Fourth Street. It is open 24 hours a day.

Public Works Director Steve Edge and his crew have been hard at work to get the center up and running.

“I’m excited,” Edge said. “I’m ready for it to start up.”

The center is made up of two buildings — one to dump the recyclables and the other where they are processed.

The dumping site is similar to the one at the old center on McWhorter Street, which no longer accepts recyclables. The building is fitted with small green doors that lead to big bins. The face of the doors indicate which recyclables go where. Magazines, for example, have their own door, as do newspapers and cans.

The dumping doors are placed at waist level for easy access.

Edge said he plans to have placards over the dumping doors that further explain what kinds of recyclables go where.

The 12,000-square foot processing building was constructed to handle large amounts of recyclables.

“We’d love for this to be a regional center,” Edge said. “We want to be big. We want to be as big as Lexington.”

The center will accept all plastic, cardboard, paper, metal, glass and electronic recyclables. It also takes white goods, including fridges, stoves, washers and dryers.

In the coming months, Edge expects he will also be able to accept used motor oil and antifreeze, as well as used batteries.

Edge said he does not need the recyclables to be meticulously washed before arriving at the center.

“You don’t have to get them spotless,” he said. “I don’t want to waste the water — that defeats the purpose.”

In terms of how to dispose of the recyclables, Edge urged recyclers to remove their reyclables from bags or boxes before dumping them.

“We’re trying to keep this as labor friendly as we can,” he said. “If we eliminate that step, we keep our costs down.”

And saving money is the ultimate goal of the new center. By having Laurel Countians recycle, the city and county don’t have to pay as many fees to dump garbage at Laurel Ridge Landfill, Edge indicated.

He added he has already budgeted $75,000 less for tipping fees this year, which represents 3,600 tons of garbage.

Equipment at the center is largely being paid for by a $121,000 grant from the Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Waste Management. Edge hopes labor will be provided by prisoners on work release, either through the Laurel County Detention Center or the Federal Correctional Institution in Manchester, Ky.

“And our street department, whenever they don’t have anything to do, they come to the recycling center,” Edge added.

Edge said the bottom line is making sure the center doesn’t drain funds from the city or county.

“We’ve got to make it pay,” he said.



Staff writer Tara Kaprowy can be reached by e-mail at tkaprowy@sentinel-echo.com.