BURLINGTON — When Renee Lickteig moved from California to rural Waverly about five years ago, she was surprised and pleased to learn about the Coffey County Recycling program.
“It’s good for the county. It’s good for the country,” she said. “We’re keeping stuff out of the landfill and helping the environment.”
Because she lives in a rural area, she brings most of her recyclables to the facility just east of Burlington, near the landfill.
The Coffey County program allows her family to recycle about 75% of their trash. They burn what they can’t recycle.
The program also allows Coffey County residents to repurpose as well as recycle, she said.
She’ll dig through the plastics bin and find square ice-cream containers she can use for various purposes on the farm. A nearby table offers a stack of egg cartons.
She’s seen people dig through the bin of glass bottles so they can use them for homemade wine or beverages.
The tub of books is a good place to find reading material.
Recycling has become ingrained in the Coffey County community, according to the team that leads the program.
Hundreds of residents and businesses in each city in Coffey County take advantage of a curbside recycling program.
The local library now offers opportunities to recycle plastic bags.
Before the pandemic, classes of school children frequently visited the center to learn more about recycling.
“I’m so glad we have this program,” Lickteig said. “Other counties can do it, too.”
ALLEN County’s recycling leaders look to programs like the one in Coffey County as an example of what is possible.
Steve Strickler, a dairy farm owner who is one of the leaders in local recycling efforts, said he learns a lot from the staff at Coffey County. A couple of weeks ago, he and Harry Clubine traveled to Burlington to watch them bale recyclable material using a large machine called a horizontal baler.
