Trash times are changing

I would like to thank the Citizen Patriot for its public stance on the outrageous cost of trash disposal in our county. The incinerator cost is a stealth tax for the residents of this county and we have five years to learn to live without it.

Just like the infamous county proclamation that since people would not recycle in 1988 so they will not recycle now, our residents have proven that times have significantly changed. Our recycling rates now exceed 10 percent of the waste stream. People are interested in recycling and we need to capitalize on that for the benefit of all.

Concerning the program we have in place, Recycling Jackson is well on its way toward that comprehensive and cost-effective program. Working with local service providers, we have 20-plus drop-off locations in and around the county. The program accepts a more diverse array of plastics, any plastic marked #1 to #7, than neighboring counties. We have locations that accept Styrofoam, a material shunned by others for recycling. Thanks to the Jackson County Community Foundation we also have a very comprehensive electronics recycling program.

While we have a great program we do have a few steps left to take. We need more recycling opportunities for rural areas. We need to cooperatively work on educating folks about what can be recycled and need to deal with the midnight dumping that occurs at the recycling locations.

Thanks to a vote of confidence in the way of a grant from the JCCF-MACI Fund, this month we hired a community educator to address these items and many more. To assure long term success, we now need the support and cooperation of the city and county government to allow us to implement the last portions of our convenient, comprehensive and cost-effective program.

by Steve Noble, President