Recycling center readies for cleanup

It is spring and it is time to clean out all of the stuff that has accumulated over the winter in your garage, basement and closets and once again the Nevada/Vernon County Recycling Center will help you dispose of your castoffs.

On April 22, the Recycling Center located east of Osage Boulevard at the intersection of Locust and Colorado streets, will be open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., for its annual spring cleanup day to let city and county residents bring in their junk for disposal. As in the past, they will have several large trash bins that will be paid for jointly by the city and Vernon County, to hold household items.

Ron Clow, Nevada planning director and recycling center supervisor, said that these are longer hours than were originally planned, which may make it easier for some people to bring in their junk.

"We will accept anything that is accepted at the landfill," Clow said.

In addition to this the Recycling Center will hold a free tire drop-off. Clow said that they would accept any tires that are not on rims. David's Tire has been contracted to dispose of the tires.

Clow said that they are working with Pap's Appliance again for an appliance drop-off.

The center will be holding a free drop-off for electronics, including computer monitors, keyboards/mice, televisions and all other electronics.

"We will no longer charge $10 to drop-off computer monitors and TV's," Clow said.

As in the past, they will have volunteers and staff on hand to help with unloading if necessary.

Clow said that if you need someone to haul your trash to the recycling center, the city hall has a list of licensed contractors.

In addition to these special services the Recycling Center will also be conducting their normal recycling efforts and will accept things like newspapers, magazines, aluminum cans, cardboard, office paper, clean No. 1 and No. 2 plastic without lids, and glass.

Glass recycling is a new offering for the Recycling Center that Clow has been working on for several years. Until recently a buyer for glass has not been available. Swift Construction out of Joplin will be using the glass to make glassphalt.

All of these activities are free to the public and are paid for with a Region M Solid Waste District grant.

This year, the Recycling Center's cleanup day coincides with Earth Day and Clow said that they would have several activities to increase the public's awareness of products made from recycled materials.

He said that a group from Neosho will be set up on the south end of the building to show kids how to make paper and the Recycling Center will be giving away items made from recycled materials, including T-shirts, pencils and note pads. They will also have hot dogs and sodas for refreshments.

Clow said the idea for the Nevada/Vernon County Recycling Center was originally developed by himself and Vernon County Presiding Commissioner Charlie Johnson while they were traveling together to attend the Region M district meetings.

What started as a conversation is now a reality, having obtained about $190,000 in grants from Region M over the past five years. These grants have paid for a steer skid, three balers, recycling bins, the recycling shed and covered area, an office, a paved parking lot and the newest acquisition, a self-contained recycling trailer and one-ton truck to pull it. The trailer has separate bins for different materials.

Clow said that they plan to use the trailer to expand their recycling efforts to the other communities in the county by taking the trailer to various towns for recycling days.

"The goal is to increase the awareness of recycling in the area and to help the surrounding communities to have a recycling program. We will provide the manpower and the trailer and they will provide the materials," Clow said.

He said that to his knowledge this is the only facility within 60 miles that actually processes recyclable materials.

He said they were growing and looking to expand operations. As demand increases their hours of operation will increase and perhaps they will be able to add one more day per week of operation.

The Recycling Center has gone from having companies loan them bailers and containers for recyclables in exchange for the materials, to now owning their own containers and balers and being paid for everything they process.

Each day they are open they remove between two and three bales of materials from the waste stream, he said.

This also benefits the city's goal of cleaning up the town.

"I have seen a drop in trash since we started this," he said.

The facility also helps some of the local businesses cut their trash pickups.

They currently have a contract with Nevada Regional Medical Center to handle their shredded paper and cardboard as well as several other businesses and are always looking for more commercial contracts.

"Our goal is to eventually become self-sustaining," Clow said.