Dear Allen County Commissioners,
I find it really ironic to read the newspaper and see that you are denying to sponsor the efforts of Steven Strickler and the citizens of Allen County to manage a recycling center, yet constantly talk of spending money to add on to the Allen County dump so it can house ALL the trash generated in Allen County and beyond.
Responsible recycling could actually keep the landfill from filling up so quickly and unnecessarily, saving land and resources now and in the future.
Do you not have children and grandchildren that will have to deal with the results of your decision?
In my 50 years of living in rural Allen County, I have seen the dump expand exponentially. I greatly appreciate that it is managed so well, but I feel it is sad to allow it to fill so quickly when a recycling effort would help divert some of the trash and help with saving the environment, as well as expand the life of the dump.
Responsible recycling involves sorting the clean plastic, aluminum, tin cans, cardboard, paper, glass, etc., to avoid dumping all types of items together. Sorting the materials is much easier to do when begun as a first step, such as has been demonstrated by Steve and those involved with the nonprofit Allen County Recycling.
These volunteers have successfully managed a recycling center for years here in Iola, but they have grown older and had to retire from the effort, leaving Steve Strickler to do it virtually all on his own.
This is a shame!
Because of the county commissioners’ neglect, local citizens who are trying to do the right thing for the future of their children and community must now haul their recyclable trash to the recycle centers in Fredonia in Wilson County or to Garnett in Anderson County. Surely Allen County can be as forward-thinking as Wilson and Anderson counties.
And you have a recycling center right in Iola that could be used to expand upon.
Fredonia’s recycling center has regular hours just like a business with ONE employee managing everything. After hours they have a shed with bins in it where people can sort their items.
Surely people have made their desire for a responsible recycling center known to the commissioners. Surely the use of shopping online, with the resulting plethora of cardboard in every home, makes a clear point that a recycling center would get great use now and in the future. Surely, local industries needing to dispose of cardboard would make great use of the recycling center. And surely having Steve Strickler’s help in getting this program off the ground is an invaluable asset.
Please take more time to rethink this timely and vastly important decision.
Respectfully submitted, Mary Dunn, Iola, Kan.
