SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. – South Pittsburg’s recycling program is alive again – thanks to life support.
In October, officials with WestRock in Kimball, Tenn., formerly known as RockTenn, informed South Pittsburg that the company would no longer pay the bill to haul the program’s recyclable materials away. The company was originally able to make money selling the recyclable materials it hauled. Demand for many recycling raw materials has dropped, however, taking away the profit incentive for the hauler.
City Administrator Sammy Burrows said the hauling bill could cost the city up to $3,240 per year, so the South Pittsburg City Commission voted unanimously last month to shut down the town’s recycling program at the Robert “Slick” Hudson Memorial Convenience Center along U.S. Highway 156.
At the City Commission’s November meeting, South Pittsburg Rotary Club board member Louise Powell said club members had been having extensive discussions about how to keep the recycling program going. The club voted recently to raise funds to pay the hauling bill up to $2,000 for 12 months, she said.
“The club is not adopting it as a project,” Powell clarified. “We’re going to raise the funds from the members in the club. We will simply guarantee up to $2,000 for 12 months.”
Club members plan to “revisit” the deal at the end of the 12-month period, she said.
The board voted 4-1 to reopen the recycling program based on the club’s donation.
Mayor Jane Dawkins said even though the Rotary Club’s action was welcomed, it is “not a perfect solution.”
“We’re very glad for them to step forward with the funding and putting faith into this program,” she said. “It is a very good example for our young people.”
Club members stepped in because they didn’t like that the city was “blindsided” by suddenly having to pay the hauling bill, Powell said.
“Our whole purpose in doing this is it’s an emergency situation,” she said. “It’s simply emergency assistance to the City of South Pittsburg.”
Dawkins said over the past month others have approached her about making donations to the program or volunteering to help staff it.
The city could set up a special fund for donations and contributions from citizens or private companies that are earmarked for its recycling program, City Attorney Billy Gouger said. That would “establish a clear path for audit purposes.”
“I’m not going to turn away anybody who [wants] to have the opportunity to donate,” Dawkins said.
For now, the refuse will be hauled to WestRock, which still makes a profit from recycling it.
City officials have looked into other possible locations, but haven’t found any other viable options yet.
“A lot can happen in a year,” Dawkins said. “We may have the opportunity to move [the recycling program] to a more favorable place and a more favorable situation at some point.”
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.