Recycling in Iola, or in Allen County for that matter, should not depend solely on volunteers.
As proven, it’s not reliable (no offense, you amazing people.)
Enthusiasm wanes, schedules get busy, new hands need to be trained, and the organization of it all is a time-consuming challenge.
More to the point, it should be the responsibility of our elected leaders to see that the county landfill is used as efficiently as possible by keeping recyclable products out of it in a convenient manner.
County officials are hiding behind the excuse they’ve stationed containers for discarded batteries and plastic milk jugs out at the landfill.
Hardly convenient. Or adequate.
Meanwhile, Iola council members were pitched a grandiose $585,000 scheme that included constructing an entire recycling facility.
To citizens, the two extremes show neither entity truly cares about addressing the situation, which is dire.
The county is now spending $3 million to construct a landfill cell that is expected to last 8 to 10 years. That’s a fill-rate at almost twice the pace of the previous cell. According to Mitch Garner, the county’s public works director, the additional trash is not coming from a growing customer base, but simply a similar number of people putting in more trash.
Even under the best scenario, that means we’re spending $300,000 a year for the cell, not including the manpower needed to haul the trash there and maintain it.
We can stretch those dollars by putting less in the landfill.
We know, because we did it before.
For 30 years, the Iola Rotary Club’s recycling program helped keep unnecessary trash out of the landfill as evidenced by the statistics provided by landfill operators.
A lack of volunteers forced the club to suspend the program at the end of 2021.
Since then, efforts to rejuvenate the recycling program have been hit-and-miss. But what has been spot on is a plethora of ideas on how to start a program, including convenient drop-off spots across the county or for the City of Iola to dedicate one day of its twice-a-week trash service for recyclable materials.
