Recycling group gathering steam in Bollinger County

BOLLINGER COUNTY, Mo. -- A small group of Bollinger County residents interested in establishing a county-wide recycling center continues to visit other area centers to learn how those other counties have established their centers.

At its most recent meeting, the Bollinger County Recycling Project elected officers. Paula Bridges is chairwoman; Alex Courtney is secretary and Tory Shade is treasurer.

Bridges said the group has already learned about setting up a recycling project from Perry County and will next visit Ste. Genevieve County. They also looked at a recycling day Cape Girardeau County held Oct. 25 to collect electronic waste.

"I was totally amazed at the quantity of stuff collected -- about 75,000 pounds by mid-afternoon," Shade said. "It seemed as if the project was going to fill almost all of the seven trucks brought down from Midwest Recycling of Crystal City."

The 75,000 pounds represents discarded cell phones, computers, iPods, appliances and other items that should not end up in a landfill. The local group also wants to find a way to recycle metal, glass and paper in Bollinger County to keep it out of the landfills and find another use for it.

"I've been out in the community talking to people," Bridges said. "I'll be going to the senior centers, schools, businesses -- places that generate the most waste."

Bridges said she was amazed to learn how many large metal food cans schools and nutrition centers throw away each week. She said one employee of a senior nutrition center showed enthusiasm for one day being able to recycle what now is thrown away.

"She was so excited," Bridges said, "and I was excited that she was excited."

Bridges said she plans to visit the Bollinger County Commission today to seek its support for the recycling project.

Recycling centers, Bridges said, can generate money and be self-supporting. Perry and Ste. Genevieve counties are established so that the centers' employees do the work and the counties collect the revenue, a system that could work in Bollinger County, she said.

Once the project has set up a budget, received funding for 25 percent of the costs to match any grants that it might apply for, then the group will have to decide where the collection centers will be located and what equipment it will need to start with. Unlike other counties that have at least one large town that can equip a recycling center, Bollinger County has no large towns and will have to be a countywide project with multiple collection centers. She says the group is convinced Bollinger County can make it happen, but it must start small and work upward.

"The Ste. Genevieve center has moved three times" while Perryville's center has stayed in the same building "but has so much more equipment," Bridges said.

Bollinger County is part of a five-county statewide region set up to support recycling. Bridges said the recycling group also hopes to work with the county commission to come up with a plan to meet those state guidelines for recycling.