ENACT Group of New Albany Talks with Oxford Recycling Coordinator
 ENACT Meeting By Angie Barmer
Recycling
is a choice for many citizens in this country. It is a choice as simple
as whether or not to throw an item away in the trash or throw it into a
recycling bin. However, for residents in New Albany, it has not been a
choice because city or county-wide recycling has not been offered to
community residents. A few months ago,
members from the Engaging New Albany Citizens Today (ENACT) group and
members of the New Albany Recycling Committee met separately and talked
about the need for recycling in the community. The New Albany Recycling
Committee and the Union County Development Association ended up applying
for recycling grants through the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality for recycling bins to be placed throughout the
city. Both groups were approved and a total of ninety 22-gallon
recycling bins will soon be placed throughout the city. UCDA will
receive fifty 22-gallon bins and the committee will receive forty
22-gallon bins. The bins for UCDA are
planned to be put in place at UCDA and at all of the New Albany schools.
Aluminum cans will be recycled in these locations. The New Albany
Recycling Committee plans to put recycling bins at the Rails to Trails
Trailhead and at the New Albany Sportsplex and plan to recycle paper and
plastic bottles. Walmart Supercenter offers recycling containers at the
front entrances for people to recycle plastic bottles and plastic
bags. Amberlyn Liles, recycling
coordinator for the City of Oxford, came to Monday night’s ENACT meeting
to discuss various ways to help New Albany move further along in its
recycling efforts. Liles began by stating
the importance and significance of having support from the mayor, the
city aldermen, and the county supervisors. There was no one from
represented from the city or county government at the meeting. She
also talked about how important it is to educate the public about
recycling, especially elementary and middle school-aged children. She said,”It’s really not that hard – it’s a choice, you either throw it away or recycle.” Liles
told the group of 25 people that when applying for grants, more money
can be received by combining city and county because the population will
be bigger, which would increase the opportunity to receive a grant. The
City of Oxford offers recycling to the University of Mississippi,
various business and schools, and to city and county residents. City
residents can either use one or both of the drop-off locations and/or
choose to participate in optional curbside recycling. County residents
can only bring recycling to a drop-off location and do not have the
option of curbside recycling. The bins cost $12 per household/set, but
the cost of the bins is optional. She
explained that all of the materials that are brought in are sold, mostly
to Midwest Fiber Recycling. She also said that when Oxford began the
recycling program approximately 12 years ago, they applied for grants to
purchase roll-off bins, which cost about $3,000 and trailers, which
cost around $13,000 each. Liles explained
that since Oxford residents are not charged a recycling fee, the city’s
recycling program goes in the red almost every year. Audience
member Logan Rutledge asked which counties are some of the most
successful in the state. Liles said that Quitman and Harrison counties
are the most successful in her opinion, but they have been around longer
and keep their recycling program simple for the residents. “Most
of our recycling comes from drop-off location number one, which is in
the Oxford Police Station’s parking lot, then the second biggest is
curbside recycling, and the third biggest is recycling that comes from
the university. We have 40 percent participation with curbside
recycling, which is very good,” said Liles. Oxford
recycles aluminum cans, steel cans, PETE #1 plastic, HDPE #2 plastic,
mixed paper, newspaper, and cardboard. They do not recycle glass or
styrofoam. She said that clients from
North Mississippi Regional Medical Center come and help sort the
recycled materials and do other work as needed. Daniel
Frain with the New Albany Recycling Committee said that he had came and
spoke to New Albany’s Board of Aldermen last October and had brought up
the idea of recycling and said that they seemed like they were for the
idea. He said that a possible plan is to set up drop-off locations throughout the city for recycling. Frain added, “When we get our bins, all of the city offices will have bins in them.” Jean Ashcraft of www.speakgreenms.org
said, “We have already spoken to Dr. Garrett with the New Albany School
District about collecting aluminum cans at each of the schools and
donating them to the New Haven Center for Special Needs Adults so they
can build an addition onto their building.” Liles
said, “I think that New Albany can do it, but you need to change the
way people think. It can be done, step by step. Education is important.
Go out and talk to the students in the schools and talk to different
clubs and organizations in town. Teach them that instead of throwing
something in the trash, it could be used to make something that would
end up on the store shelves.” For more information on the City of Oxford’s recycling program, visit www.oxfordms.net.
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