Recycling program started in Scott County

BENTON -- Scott County is going green.

The Stoddard County Sheltered Workshop will bring a shredder and trash containers to the courthouse so county offices can recycle products such as paper and cardboard. A shredder will also be set up for use on sensitive documents before recycling.

"Everybody is conscious of recycling," said Commissioner Dennis Ziegenhorn. He and other commissioners discussed the program during Thursday's regular commission meeting.

"I want to be the first county to make a statement of going green," said Jamie Burger, presiding commissioner. "We are a far cry from it, but this is a step in the right direction. There are several people in-house that have been talking about this for years, and we should have listened sooner."

Scott County's Sheltered Workshop does not offer those recycling services. The service is offered free of charge, and those at the sheltered workshop will sort through the materials, Ziegenhorn said.

Although aluminum recycling is not part of the program, several offices already have such bins in place, Burger said.

As the Scott County representative on the Bootheel Solid Waste District, Ziegenhorn said the recycling effort is something that committee wants to encourage all counties and municipalities to participate in.

"Our primary interest is pushing recycling in the future," he said.

Another issue under consideration is coming up with a plan of how to safely dispose of old television sets early next year during TV's digital switch.

911 meeting

Also during Thursday's meeting, commissioners had what Ziegenhorn called a "productive" 911 meeting with Tom Beardslee, chief deputy in the sheriff's department as well as E-911 director.

"Things are moving in the right direction for us to be able to solicit other counties for their business in the future," Ziegenhorn said, referring to commissioners' plans to set up a regional 911 hub here in the future.

The latest step is the installation of recording equipment on all 911 as well as sheriff's department lines. That's being done, Burger said, because several in the area still call the sheriff's department instead of 911 in emergencies. "I think that will really give the public a sense of security," he said.

A bid was accepted in Tuesday's meeting for the equipment, and Burger said it should all be installed within the next two weeks.

He and Ziegenhorn applauded Beardslee for his efforts, which have made "a big impact" on leading the program forward.

"He is able to provide in-house training, which will save the county travel and expense dollars," Burger said.

Looking to the future, Ziegenhorn pointed out the importance of an effective and accurate addressing system, which includes visible markers for each home's address.