Morgan Co. looks to expand recycling with permanent site

August 20, 2007|By TRISH RUDDER

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. - A permanent recycling center in Morgan County is a goal that could become a reality next spring.

Bill Pechumer, coordinator of the Morgan County Solid Waste Authority, said the authority applied for an $85,000 grant from the West Virginia Environmental Protection Agency recently, and it hopes to receive the funding early next year.

Four acres of land off U.S. 522 south of Berkeley Springs are being leased from a local resident for the recycling center, Pechumer said.

The center will be modeled after the Berkeley County site that accepts all recyclables, including plastic and electronic equipment like air conditioners.

Limited recycling began in Morgan County in 1994, and the response was so good, Pechumer said, that in 1999 the Authority received a grant to purchase a truck and trailer to collect the items. People have been loading up their recyclable materials and taking them once a month to the rotating sites, which are open only a few hours.

"We can only accept so much into the truck and trailer, and when they become full, we can't take anymore," Pechumer said.

Morgan County has not been able to recycle anything other than glass, cans, paper and cardboard.

"People are telling me how excited they are that plastic will finally be accepted to recycle," he said.

Pechumer said preliminary plans are for the site to be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. three days a week and three Saturdays each month.

"We will continue to take the truck and trailer once a month to Great Cacapon and Paw Paw (W.Va.) so people won't have to travel so far to recycle," Pechumer said.

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