Giles County’s convenience and recycling centers are keeping lots of materials out of landfills.
Julie Phillips, county solid waste management and recycling center director, also told members of the Pulaski Exchange Club she would like to see a center, likely a convenience center, in northeast Giles County.
“The state requires 25 percent of diversion ,” she said of the state Department of Environment and Conservation, which regulates Solid Waste and Recycling.
Giles County started its solid waste and recycling program a few years ago, after most counties had established similar programs.
While she is compiling results for the latest annual report required by the state, Giles County collected 215 tons of recyclables in one reporting period, which is kept out of landfills.
“Landfills are necessary, though no one wants one in their back yard,” he said.
The county operates convenience centers on Highway 31 South, near the Ag Park; at the Bodenham Community Center, in Minor Hill and on Highway 31 north of Richland School.
“I would like to see another in the Highway 31A area in the northeastern part of the county,” she said.
The center would need to b be on public land, she said,
“Every center we build is a little different,” she said.
Even though the price is low, centers continue to accept cardboard, she said,
Different dealers store cardboard at different sites until prices rise higher, she said.
The county continues not to accept glass for recycling, though lots of people ask about the service she said
“ I would like to see us get a paper shredder,” she said.
In this year;s proposed county budget, Phillips said she was asking for a little more money to pay workers at the recycling centers, who are part-time.
Besides flattened cardboard, all convenience centers accept clean materials - no liquid or food debris; newspapers, magazines, mail, paper, number one and two grade plastics, scrap metal, aluminum, rinsed tin, waste oil and batteries.
Prohibited at all centers are liquid or food debris, construction debris, trees, lumber and nothing larger than a 12 foot trailer.
Also accepted at centers are household trash, large debris (such as broken furniture), bulky waste, scrap metal, appliances, used motor oil, cooking oil and batteries.
Televisions and computers are accepted a the Ag Center on Highway 31 North with a receipt from the Giles County Solid Waste and Recycling Coordinator or the Financial Management office of $5 per item.
Four free tips each year per household are also accepted.
Not accepted at Bodenham. Minor Hill and the center on Highway 31 north of Richland are: televisions, computers or tires.
Unacceptable items include medical waste, dead animals, fireworks, military ordinance, ammunition, gunpowder, smoke detectors and radium paint.