Permanent recycling center is set to open this summer
Morgan County Solid Waste Authority officials announced their plans to open a permanent recycling center in Morgan County with the help of the Ecology Coalition of Morgan County. The announcement came at the Friday, January 11 Morgan County Commission meeting.
Bennett Lentczner, Solid Waste Authority chairperson, and Ecology Coalition member Rose McDermott are heading the joint efforts to set up the recycling center. The collaboration was approved by both boards last week.
The Ecology Coalition will help educate the community about the benefits of an expanded recycling program and will help the Solid Waste Authority increase opportunities for residents to recycle, McDermott said in a Solid Waste Authority press release.
The Ecology Coalition of Morgan County can raise funds, contract services and purchase items and in turn donate those in-kind gifts as a 501c3 tax-exempt organization to the Morgan County Solid Waste Authority for the recycling center.
As a government agency, the Morgan County Solid Waste Authority can't solicit or raise funds for the project. It is permitted to accept gifts of in-kind materials, said treasurer Charles Biggs.
U.S. Rt. 522 South site
A site for the permanent recycling facility has been secured just north of Eddie's Tires on the west side of U.S. Route 522 South, Lentczner said.
It is hoped that the recycling center will be open by late summer. A 2008 grant from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has provided much of the funding for the site, he said. Some $50,000 still needs to be raised.
The press release said the proposed center would be similar in layout and operation to the recycling facility in Berkeley County.
Tentative plans are for the recycling center to be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. several days during the week and on Saturdays. The site will be staffed by a coordinator and volunteers.
Program at maximum
The current recycling program is operating at maximum capacity in the collection and recycling of cardboard, paper, glass, cans and white goods, according to Solid Waste Authority officials.
Support from grants, local business partners and in-kind contributions from community organizations and individuals have made the program successful, they said.
No county tax monies are used to support MCSWA operations, the press release noted.
Community requests for adding other recyclable items to the program and the increased need for recycling have necessitated creating a permanent recycling facility, officials said.
The Solid Waste Authority was confident that with the help of the Ecology Coalition their long-term objective of making recycling as convenient as possible for all residents, as well as cost effective and environmentally sound, would soon be realized, Lentczner said.
The first step in reaching this goal is the establishment of a permanent recycling center, he said.
For more information on what to do to help, contact the Morgan County Solid Waste Authority at 258-8718.
