Recycling efforts in Allen County are continuing, thanks to a dedicated group of advocates.
A new recycle center will open to the north of Pete’s convenience store on East State Street. Thompson Poultry formerly occupied the site up into the late 1970s.
The plan is to have it open by the next recycling day on Saturday, March 5, organizer Steve Strickler told Allen County commissioners at Tuesday’s meeting.
Recycling days are expected to continue the first Saturday of each month, from 8 to 11 a.m.
“People have started to get used to it. Those who don’t want to get out of their cars can just pop the trunk,” he said.
“Plus, they got used to taking stuff to the recycling center at Peerless anytime they wanted to.”
Those options will start again, once the new recycling center opens.
Previously, Iola Rotary Club set up recycling bins at Peerless, but that effort ended in early December. Since then, volunteers have picked up recycling once a month near the 911 Center.
The new location can be accessed on the west side of Pete’s at 1700 East St.
Because the building has been vacant for decades it needs a lot of work, Strickler told commissioners. Crews so far have installed enough electricity and lights for basic operation, including running a baling machine.
The roof badly needs replaced, but the group can’t afford the estimated $40,000 it would take. Instead, Strickler plans to make repairs.
He purchased a horizontal baling machine from a company in Chanute. It will allow the group to recycle just about any material.
But for now, they’re going to continue to ship plastics and all material except cardboard to the Coffey County Recycling Center at Burlington.
They’ll contract a broker to pick up and sell the cardboard for them.
The group also is filling out paperwork to become a 501c3 non-profit organization.
