Bradley County Mayor Gary Davis finalizes the plastic recycling agreement with the Orange Grove Center, standing in front of bales of number 1 and 2 plastic. Left to right are Kyle Hauth, executive director of the Orange Grove Center; County Mayor Davis, Misti Gipson, OGC recycling plant coordinator, and Tera Roberts, OGC director of adult services.
Bradley County is launching a program to recycle number 1 and number 2 plastic. Number 1 plastic includes most beverage bottles, such as water bottles, and soda bottles. Number 2 plastic includes milk jugs, shampoo bottles, and laundry detergent bottles.
The expansion comes on the heels of the launch of a computer/electronic recycling program in August.
The plastic recycling program is made possible through a partnership with the Orange Grove Center of Chattanooga, a private, non-profit organization serving adults and children with developmental disabilities.
“This is a partnership where everybody wins” said Bradley County Mayor Gary Davis. “The plastic recycling program will not cost the county taxpayers anything while helping extend the life of the County landfill. The Orange Grove Center is able to increase its volume and maintain its commitment to helping the developmentally disabled citizens in the area.”
The Orange Grove Recycling Center is a regional Materials Recovery Facility and processes more than 1.5 million pounds of product each month. It employs more than 100 developmentally disabled workers and several academically at risk high school students. Their goal is to equip these folks with the skills they need to find employment in the community at large.
County Mayor Davis began discussions with the Orange Grove Center’s Executive Director Kyle Hauth in January. It became clear to both sides that an agreement would be mutually beneficial and help Bradley County achieve its goal of helping citizens with their plastic recycling efforts.
County Mayor Davis said the roll-off bins are in place at the drop-off centers on Peerless Road and Urbane Road. They will officially begin accepting number 1 and 2 recyclable plastic containers on Monday May 24th. In an effort to avoid confusion over what can and cannot be recycled, signs will be posted on each roll-off bin to assist citizens in sorting their materials.
County Mayor Davis said it is important to remember that the drop-off centers can only accept number 1 and number 2 plastic at this time. No other plastic is accepted.
“We have received more calls about plastic recycling than anything else,” he said. “I am excited to be able to offer this service to our citizens. One third of all the oil we extract from the earth is used for Plastics and chemicals. So recycling plastic saves us energy and a trip to the oil well. We need to recycle as much as we can in order to keep it out of our landfill.”
County Mayor Davis observes the sorting process at the Orange Grove Center's recycling facility.