By Katie Holland

Staff Writer

AUTRYVILLE — After months of weighing their options, town board members have unanimously adopted a recycling plan that won’t require any additional funds.

Town clerk Diane Autry explained in an interview that the board has opted to contract with Pratt Industries in Fayetteville for recycling. The plan further requires town maintenance worker Plato Faircloth to pick up the town’s recycling on the first Thursday of the month while continuing to pick up regular trash on Mondays and Thursdays. The plan will be implemented beginning this March.

Autryville mayor Pat Williams established in an interview her belief that allowing Faircloth to deliver the recycling to Pratt was a cost effective measure that provides for the recycling need without costing the town, and thus residents, more money.

“It doesn’t cost the town anything, except for actually hauling it there,” said Williams, noting that it may save the town a few pennies, since Pratt may even pay for some recycling.

In the last few months, the board had weighed several options for recycling, including a potential contract with Waste Industries to pick up plastics and other items. However, each plan they reviewed required additional funds, except the one with Pratt.

The chosen plan, Williams stated, actually sprung from some conversations she had with town leaders in Stedman.

“Stedman is currently taking their trash there,” Williams noted.

Another appealing prospect of this option, the mayor pointed out, was the simple way the recycling would have to be organized.

“On this plan, they (residents) will just have to put the recycling in one bag,” said Williams. However, the recycling will have to be separate from other garbage.

The Autryville mayor emphasized that she is hopeful town residents will be satisfied with this option, but before they implement it, she wants to make sure citizens are educated on how this option will move forward. So, she established that the town staff will send out letters with pictures to show exactly what can be sent to Pratt as opposed to things that can be taken to the landfill.

Commissioner Grover Autry, who motioned for the approval of the plan, said he feels that the people in his town will appreciate this option.

“Everyone I have talked to thinks that they will enjoy it,” Autry noted. He is also optimistic that by sending out letters, with pictures, showing what can be recycled, confusion will be avoided.

According to a list he had on hand, items that may be sent to Pratt include mixed paper, newspaper, cardboard, glass jars, bottles, aluminum cans, plastic containers, milk cartons and juice cartons.

As for why it has taken so long to decide what plan to go with, Autry noted that the board wanted to find the most feasible option. In addition, he established that the town board chose to delay the change until March to make sure citizens understood the change.

“Everybody decided that starting in February was not enough time to get the word out,” Autry noted.

Commissioner William Holden, who seconded the motion, agreed that this was the cheapest way to effectively move forward with recycling. Right now, since the town did not have a plan, he said, town residents have been left to take their items to the recycling facilities themselves or throw it out with the trash.

“This way, we can have that recycling picked up once a month,” Holden noted.

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