The city of Indianola is set to begin a recycling program with the assistance of Greenwood-Leflore Recycling.
“We’re going to have three bins in Indianola for paper, bottles and cans, and cardboard,” said Anne Marie Kornelis, coordinator of Greenwood-Leflore Recycling.
The exact location of the bins has not been selected, but Indianola Mayor Steve Rosenthal said they will be either at Indianola City Hall, 101 Front St., or at a parking lot across the street from City Hall.
On Tuesday, Kornelis will present a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the Indianola recycling efforts at the Greenwood City Council’s meeting. The memorandum requires the council’s approval to go forward.
Kornelis said an Indianola city employee will take the recyclables to the Recycling Center on Commerce Street. Rosenthal said, under the arrangements of the memorandum, Indianola will be furnished with a trailer to haul the recycling containers to and from the Greenwood facility.
The increase in the amount of recyclables, with Indianola’s participation, will help make the Recycling Center more efficient, thereby reducing costs for its continued operation.
Rosenthal said that his city’s fledgling recycling effort is already getting a positive response from residents and businesses.
“Volume is key” in terms of bringing more recyclables to the center, he said.
“On the ecological side, all of this material will not be put in a landfill,” Rosenthal said.
An earlier recycling effort in Indianola failed, the mayor said, because it required the warehousing of recyclables for a lengthy period before pickup.
Kornelis said hopes to add Sidon and Itta Bena to the Recycling Center’s program soon. Although those cities aren’t big enough to have their employees working on the recycling program, she’s not worried about the resources and staff of the Recycling Center being stretched too thin.
“The more, the merrier,” she said. “The more people are going to recycle, the more others will hear about it and join in.”
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
