County Works To Recycle
Trailers stationed behind the McDonald County Courthouse in Pineville are full, laden with recyclables. Cardboard and plastic bags full of recyclable items are strewn throughout.
Though a grant is in place to help McDonald County neighbors recycle, an overwhelming amount of recyclables remain.
Last week, an official with the Harry S. Truman Coordinating Council said a grant awarded to McDonald County helps provide a recycling option for county residents.
McDonald County neighbors may bring their recyclable items to those trailers, said Region M Solid Waste Management District coordinator Patty Overman.
The grant enables the county to pay for an employee to drive the trailers with recyclables to the recycling center in Neosho when the trailers become full of items, Overman said. The program is a year-round program. McDonald County commissioners oversee the hiring of an employee.
A sign down by the piles of recyclables, however, asks McDonald County residents not to bring or drop off any more items.
A call to the McDonald County Commissioner’s Office was not returned.
For residents wanting to make a difference in collecting and diverting items, Overton’s office offers
small towns in McDonald County the chance to set up collection recycling events for papers and electronics.
Such collection events are generally held in conjunction with Earth Day in April and America Recycle Day in November, but events certainly can be held at other times, Overman said.
Several events are already on the books for April and May. New funding becomes available with the start of the new fiscal year on July 1. “We could definitely set something up for summer,” Overman said.
Document shredding and electronics disposal — anything with a cord — can be helpful to small communities.
Overman stresses that clean-up events are not just limited to paper and electronics.
“We’re always willing to help out where we can,” she said.
Under the umbrella of the HSTCC, Region M assists five counties in southwest Missouri. Last year, 13 community collections and city clean-up days resulted in collecting more than 50 tons of electronic waste. Several tons of documents with sensitive information were collected, shredded and recycled.
For those who want to launch their own recycling projects, grants are available on a yearly basis, Overman said. Various funding and options are offered to those who wish to promote educational recycling tips while diverting items from piles of trash.
Applications for such grants are due in November, with presentations taking place in February. Those who are awarded a grant are generally notified after 30 days, she said.
In 2018, 21 district grant recycling projects diverted nearly 5,000 tons of solid waste from landfills. Items diverted included cardboard, paper, glass, metals, wood waste and several plastic grades. Several city and county recycling centers, nonprofit organizations and private industry service providers utilized the funding from the Department of Natural Resources.
To contact Overman about a collection event, email her at poverman@hstcc.org or call 417-649-6400, ext. 302.