Monticello — Wayne County's Recycling Center is open in its new location, on

Creekview Drive behind Rite Aid, and thanks to grant money which funded the

purchase of several pieces of equipment, things are going very well. The

larger facility allows the county to operate its own recycling operation for

cardboard, aluminum cans, and plastic bottles.

Wayne County received a $33,050 grant from the Kentucky Division of

Waste Management that enabled the recycling program to expand. The money has

been used to purchase a second heavy duty recycle baler, an additional 16

cubic yard recycle trailer, plus 30 95-gallon roll out carts. Solid Waste

Coordinator Tim Bell noted that the county is using labor to provide the

match for the grant.

Inmate labor is being utilized to help operate the recycling facility,

and the new building has ample storage space for recycled materials. The

county's new recycle trailer is in place at Wal-Mart, along with another

open trailer, which is designated for plastic bottles and cardboard. Bell

noted that these are the two materials that fill up the recycle trailer very

quickly.

"I think this is a good idea to put this here," said local resident

Carlene Massengale, as she dropped off a bag of plastic bottles at the

trailer at Wal-Mart recently. "These things really add up in your garbage."

Another open trailer has been placed at the recycling center, where

local residents can drop off plastic bottles and cardboard at any time. Bell

noted that it would be helpful if residents remove the lids from plastic

bottles before dropping them off, since this saves a lot of time during

processing.

Paper is still collected locally, but is taken to the Pulaski County

Recycling Center to be processed, according to Bell. He noted that by the

first of the year, the county hopes to be processing its own paper as well.

Some recycling carts have been placed in local schools, so that students

can start their own recycling projects. Bell said there are plans to put

more of the carts into the schools.

Anyone with questions regarding recycling should contact Bell at (606)

307-5065 or the Wayne County Judge-Executive's Office at (606) 348-4241.