MC recycling trailer sidelined

Madison County officials pulled the roving recycling trailer out of service last week following ongoing issues with what they say were inappropriate items being tossed into the trailer.

Sometime between 11 a.m. May 6 and 8:30 a.m. May 7, someone filled one of the trailer’s compartments with a tarp, trash and an air conditioner unit, according to Madison County Facilities and Maintenance Director Ross Shifflett.

Last Thursday, Shifflett said he was unsure if the trailer – which was taken out of service from its location at Route 670 and Route 231 in Banco to the transfer station to be cleaned out – would be immediately returned to its location for use.

“We’re gonna clean it out, the question is if we’re gonna put it back,” he said May 7, adding that he planned to discuss the issue with County Administrator Lisa Robertson.

Earlier this week, the recycling trailer still had not been returned to its scheduled location. At the Madison County Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, Shifflett asked the board for some time to decide how to deal with the situation and possibly look into alternate locations and days and times of use of the trailer.
At press time it was unclear when and where the trailer would be put back in service. It had been scheduled to stop this week at the lot in front of the Piedmont Deli plaza off North Main Street in downtown Madison.

Shifflett initially told the supervisors at its April 30 workshop meeting that transfer station representatives had been having ongoing issues with Madison County residents tossing inappropriate items into the container. The trailer – which rotates between three different locations across the county – is designed to accept things like aluminum cans, magazines and glass.

“I’m not sure if the recycling trailer is doing what we intended it to do, because of people abusing it,” Shifflett said at the April 30 meeting.

Shifflett told the supervisors transfer station representatives had found that residents had been wrongfully filling the trailer with items such as propane cylinders, leftover paint-filled cans and dead animals.

“Unmanned sites are not a good thing,” Shifflett told the board, adding that the trailer is clearly marked of what items it is designed to accept.

The items residents are able to place in the recycling trailer include, aluminum, steel cans, magazines, catalogs and junk mail (combined as mixed paper), newspapers and green- and brown-colored and colorless glass.

At the April 30 meeting, officials discussed sending out a press release to the community notifying residents of the issues with the trailer. The supervisors also discussed possibly pulling it out of service if residents continued to fill the trailer with inappropriate items.

Some items that cannot be placed in the recycling trailer – such as cardboard, garbage and large metal – can be taken directly to the county’s transfer station off Shelby Road (Route 662).

However, other objects – like propane tanks, excess paint, dead animals and hazardous materials – are either not accepted at the transfer station at all or must be dealt with in a special manner before they are dropped off at the county trash spot.

Propane tanks are accepted at the Madison transfer station only when they are either cut in half or have been punctured to release all remaining propane, according to information previously released by transfer station representatives. Residents should not attempt to cut tanks themselves, but rather contact the manufacturer of the tank for information about disposal.

In order to dispose of excess household paint at the transfer station, residents should pour the paint into a heavy, plastic trash bag full of dry cat litter, which will absorb the paint and become solid, according to previous information released by the county.

The county transfer station does not accept used motor oil – instead residents can dispose of this by bringing it to Shelby Automotive at 5105 S. Seminole Trail (U.S. 29), which accepts the oil during its regular business hours for a $3 per gallon fee.

The Madison County Transfer Station’s regular hours are 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. For information, call (540) 948-3938.

At the board of supervisors’ April 30 workshop meeting, Shifflett also mentioned another recent issue that has arisen with the county’s recycling program. Typically, the amount of money the county receives for recycling collected material offsets the cost of transporting these recyclables, Shifflett said.

But from December 2008-April 2009, the county had to pay close to $1,000 to make up the difference between the funds received and the cost to haul the items, the facilities and maintenance director said at the supervisors most recent meeting this week.

The difference is due to lower “commodity” prices the county receives from Madison Heights-based Sonoco Recycling center, Shifflett previously said.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen that the goods have hit a price that don’t cover costs,” he said. “Paper is doing a fraction of what it was 18 months ago.”