Good news on recycling

Too much bad news.

That is what I thought yesterday as I cruised the news channels for something good to watch.

I don't know what our fascination is with the ugly, awful, dreadful, frightful and appalling, but it always seems to make front page or the top of the hour of national news.

So I thought it was time to share some good local news. I can't announce a decrease in unemployment, a new, low-cost national health plan or lower gas prices. I can, however, give Jackson County another pat on the back for your participation in recycling and protecting our local environment.

Last month, the Jackson County Recycling District and Wal-Mart held an electronic recycling drop-off that yielded 20,000 pounds of monitors, computers, printers, copiers and keyboards. That is a long way from the 110,000 pounds we collected last fall, but maybe that tells us that you are getting your garages, basements, attics and closets emptied of old electronics. And now Bridgepointe-Goodwill has just made that one step easier.

The local Goodwill store will now collect electronics and televisions on a daily basis for resale and recycling. The Goodwill stores in the Clarksville District, which includes the Seymour store, were selected to participate in a cooperative project with Dell Computers that provides for recycling every day instead of having to wait for a twice-a-year drop-off program.

Bridgepointe-Goodwill will take electronics whether or not they are still usable. What can't be resold will be recycled. What a boost for Jackson County recyclers.

The electronics recycling program is added to the many recycling programs already in place in Jackson County. Below is a list of the programs that may be a help to you in your recycling efforts:

-- Curbside recycling - City of Seymour, towns of Crothersville, Brownstown and Medora.

-- Drop-off recycling - Town of Medora, City of Seymour.

-- Household hazardous waste recycling - Department of Public Works, Seymour.

-- Sharps recycling - Jackson County Health Department.

-- Pharmaceutical collection - Bevers Pharmacy, Seymour, and Family Drug, Brownstown.

-- Rechargeable battery recycling - All libraries, Seymour City Hall, Greater Seymour Chamber of Commerce office.

-- CFL light bulb recycling (residential only) - Jackson County REMC, Brownstown Hardware, Union Hardware, Home Depot, Seymour Department of Public Works.

-- Appliance recycling - Rumpke Landfill, BestWay Transfer Station, Jackson County Highway Garage, Seymour Department of Public Works.

With the exception of some of the curbside programs that carry a small fee, all other programs are free to Jackson County residents.
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Debbie Hackman is executive director of Jackson County Recycling Center. She writes a monthly column for The Tribune as well as business monthly, B2B.