Budget crunch hits Bradley recycling

CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- The state's straitened budget may cost two of Bradley County's most important recycling projects their state funding.

Bradley County paid the bill this year for the annual Household Hazardous Waste Day, a project that previously received state support.

The state fund for recycling tires, which comes from the county's landfill tipping fee, may also be lost.

Members of the Coalition for Community Improvement Committee talked about the possible funding loss at their quarterly meeting Friday. Both programs are important, they said.

"We already deal with a lot of dumping, especially with tires, and this would make that situation worse," County Commissioner Lisa Stanbery said.

Joanne Maskew, executive director of Cleveland/Bradley Keep America Beautiful, said the occasional household hazardous waste collections bring in many kinds of items that need special disposal.

"People clean out the homes and barns of family members who passed away, or clean out their own homes. You'd be surprised at what we get," Ms. Maskew said.

Bradley County commissioners recently passed a resolution asking the state to keep the tire recycling money coming to the county. The resolution notes that Bradley is one of the few counties in Tennessee with a landfill. Some commissioners said it would penalize counties with landfills.

The two programs combined, household hazardous waste day and tire recycling, represent about $100,000 to the county, Ms. Stanbery said.

Because volunteers do cleanups that impact the health and safety of residents as well as esthetics, the committee is concerned.

The committee is made up of local government, church and civic representatives who help match up property owners who need help with cleanups or maintenance and organizations that can provide the volunteer work. Committee members on Friday discussed several private properties that have received, or need, volunteer cleanup help.

BY THE NUMBERS

Results from Household Hazardous Waste day in April:

640: People participating

35,298: Gallons of paint

13,037: Pounds of electronics

1,655: Containers of flammable liquid

8: Number items containing mercury

Source: Cleveland/Bradley Keep America Beautiful