The recycling center in Marshall County is currently experiencing a few problems, and it has been shut down by the county officials. This recycling center was started by the county officials as a volunteer project around 20 years ago, but in the past few years, it has become a burden on the county. According to experts, it is extremely hard for the county officials to maintain the facility, so they are going to try and look for alternative methods of recycling waste within the county.

The Recycling Center Closed Temporarily

According to Gary Kroeschen, the Chairman of the County Board, the recycling activities at the center are not very organized. The amount of waste that the center receives is far more than it can recycle. As a result, heaps of waste pile up at the entrance of the center. Looking at the shortage of staff at the center, Kroeschen decided to close the recycling center temporarily. But the residents are continuing to dispose their waste at the vicinity of the center.

Kroeschen stated that the residents were not informed about the temporary shutdown. As a result, a lot of them are still disposing their waste at the center. To inform all the residents, the county council is going to send out a public message, and it is also going to construct a fence around the center to prevent additional pile-up of waste in it. Kroeschen also stated that the council will reopen the facility only when they have decided on who can maintain it and how they will be able to fund it.

The Need to Promote Custom Reusable Totes at Recycling Center

The county council spends close to $12,500 every year to maintain the recycling center. At present, this expenditure is affecting the county council as they are not able to spare a lot of money for the center. This is the primary reason as to why the officials have shut down the center. They want the residents to think of alternative methods of recycling and disposing their waste.

The county council is currently encouraging the residents to use custom reusable totes instead of plastic bags. This is because plastic bags constitute a large proportion of the waste that is collected in the city. So, if these bags are replaced with reusable bags, the proportion of waste that is collected within the city will also reduce drastically.

Source: http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1506805696/Marshall-County-temporarily-closes-recycling-center