Two of west Kentucky’s largest cities are looking to find success with their curbside recycling programs. Paducah officials said they want to grow their program in 2019 and Hopkinsville prepares to launch their program in February.
Hopkinsville Solid Waste Enterprise Recycling Manager Chris Powell said he hopes the program will help move Hopkinsville towards becoming “totally green city.”
Powell said Hopkinsville’s recycling program has been growing for years with public drop-off locations in the city and county since 2006. Powell said curbside recycling could make the city’s waste management more sustainable.
“The more we can recycle, it keeps it out of our landfills, just makes it a whole lot cleaner and better environment for everybody. If nobody recycled, before long the entire county will be a landfill- there would be no place for kids to play or anything else,” he said.
Powell said Hopkinsville Solid Waste Enterprise began advertising the program at the beginning of January. More than 450 residents are signed up for the service. He said the curbside recycling program costs $5.50 a month and begins February 1.
For Paducah, it’s been one year since the city started its curbside recycling program that officials call an “internal success.”
Paducah Public Information Officer Pam Spencer said the program has grown “slowly and steadily” with 1,000 residents signed up. She said the city views the program as a success because its launch had no large burden on customers or waste management crews.
Spencer said the city’s goal is to have one-third residents signed up for the curbside recycling program. “At this time we really want to see neighbors talking to neighbors, encourage your neighbor to sign up for the recycling program, we’re hoping that a little neighborhood peer pressure, neighborhood competition will help increase those numbers,” she said.
Spencer said the city has been encouraging program participants to make sure they are putting the accepted items in their recycling bins. She said these items are listed on the city’s website.
She said those interested in signing up for the program can call Paducah’s engineering public works department at 270-444-8511.
