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Council Considers Bringing Recycling Back to Village

Photo by Scott McCloskey Bethlehem Mayor Tim Bishop looks over the village agenda at the Monday evening council meeting.

BETHLEHEM — More than a year after the village ended the community’s recycling program with the Ohio County Solid Waste Authority, village council continues to examine the possibly of re-establishing a new program at a more secure site.

During the village’s regular council meeting Monday, council members listened as Tammy Bonar, executive director of the Ohio County Solid Waste Authority, informed them about a more secure recycling program that seems work well in Cabell County. A more secure site is necessary because at the previous site — near ball fields along W.Va. 88 — people had dumped illegally.

While the program wouldn’t be applicable for at least another year because the next state grants wouldn’t be available until June of 2019 for such a program, Bonar said it seems to be a good recycling plan. Bonar had said previously that recycling has been a challenge for the county because of the contamination that occurs when people mix in regular household garbage with recycling. She said Cabell County provides a “fenced in,” more controlled recycling site that residents can access through a gated site with a key fob. Bonar said the site also has a security camera system in place to allow officials to monitor it.

Bethlehem officials continue to examine options for bring recycling back to the village because residents express interest in the program. Several residents spoke in favor of bringing back a monitored centralized recycling location at past council meetings.

Following the meeting, Mayor Tim Bishop said village officials will continue to entertain options.

“We’ve been actively searching how we can bring recycling back to the village for a long time,” Bishop said.

He said Bonar contacted him a few weeks ago about a grant that is available once a year for setting up a recycling program.

“We have several options … we are waiting to hear back from a couple of companies.

“Unfortunately, when Ohio County Solid Waste Authority removed that site that was at (the) village ball field, a lot of our residents used that,” said Bonar. “It is a shame it had to go. Since then, we have been actively searching for waste recycling.”

Bonar advised council that she will also be approaching other Ohio County communities, such as Triadelphia and Valley Grove, about the possibility of enrolling in such a program. She said the county can apply for state grants in amounts up to $125,000 to pay for the start up costs.

In Cabell County, she said, residents sign up to pay for a key fob that provides access to the recycling site on an annual basis. Bonar said if council would decide to pursue a similar a program for the village, she would recommend that they place the recycling site near the municipal building to allow officials to keep a closer watch over it.

“I like things being more community based,” she said. “I think people take more ownership of it.”

The next regular council meeting is scheduled for 8 p.m. July 16.

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