Recycling comes to Portsmouth city hall

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The Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management District is going through its new five-year plan. Every five years, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires them to go through a new plan, so the District hired a consultant and with that effort, they have been able to add more programs. On Friday morning he met with Portsmouth City Manager Derek K. Allen in the lobby of the city building to kick off the program by carrying in stacks of containers to be used for recycling.

“In this plan we added four additional recycling sites,” Palmer said. “The Scioto County Courthouse, which we implemented two weeks ago; and here in Portsmouth City Hall. We just ordered today for Ironton’s city hall and then we’re going to implement it at the Lawrence County Courthouse.”

So in addition to the 35 sites the Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management District has for the public (90 containers), they are adding four more sites.

“I’ve said it from day one, our government should be leaders in this,” Palmer said. “So with the commissioners on my board agreeing to it, City Manager Derek Allen stepped up first. I was glad to see this. I want to commend Derek for doing this.”

Allen did not hesitate when asked to participate.

“I think recycling is important,” Allen said. “We run a transfer station and I see how much garbage is going to the landfill and anything we can do reduce the amount of garbage going to the landfill through recycling not only is good for the environment, but it is good for the finances of the city.”

He said the recycling program would be implemented in every department that reports to his office and he said it is his hope that the other departments fall into line.

Palmer said a 9 cubic yard container from Rumpke will be delivered to the city building to be located outside, and all recycled materials will be taken to that container where they will be picked up.

“This building does a lot of paperwork. We take shredded paper, all the junk mail that they get, their plastic bottles, their pop cans,” Palmer said. “He (Allen) wants the whole city involved.”

Palmer said the regional recycling effort is growing. In the month of December, they processed 211 tons.

“Under our plan we’ve covered 90 percent of our population and this is in addition,” Palmer said.

When Palmer left the city building, he took containers to the Portsmouth Public Library too.

“Out back of the library we have one of the Rumpke dumpsters that collects the recycled material and I’m a big recycling person at home anyway,” Katie Williams, publicity and program manager for the Portsmouth Public Library said. “We use a lot of material. At the library one of the key things we try to do is re-use materials. Even our scrap paper, we try to re-use the materials we have. So what better way to participate in the recycling program. It’s great for the environment and I think its important to see us recycling and other people recycling so it can be like a chain reaction to get other people recycling.”

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Frank Lewis | Daily Times Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management Director Dan Palmer (l) and Portsmouth City Manager Derek K. Allen, distribute containers for the city to begin its recycling program.
http://portsmouth-dailytimes.aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2016/03/web1_Recycling.jpgFrank Lewis | Daily Times Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management Director Dan Palmer (l) and Portsmouth City Manager Derek K. Allen, distribute containers for the city to begin its recycling program.

By Frank Lewis

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Reach Frank Lewis at 740-353-3101, ext. 1928, or on Twitter @franklewis.

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