The following email was received from Wes Treadway on 7-31-20 in response to my letter to the editor published in the Roane Reporter that week.

Hello,
I have been recycling for a number of years starting when I lived in Maryland. I was happy to find out that there was a recycling center here in Roane County when I moved here some 6 years ago. It has come a long way since then. The facility is a lot better than the small building it was in. The two employees are always pleasant and helpful.

Last Thursday I took my recycling there and was told that they weren’t taking glass anymore. I was upset. They can take in an old dentist chair and have it sit for months but not glass. Which is easier to get rid of? It takes me anywhere from a week to a couple of months to have enough glass to recycle. The use of glass in packaging is relatively small in today’s manufacturing.

My biggest recycle is of course plastic, then cardboard. Metal cans are third. All my recyclables make up about 80% to 90% of my household waste. There has been times when I do not have a bag of garbage for the truck to pick up. I pay for six bags a week and usually have only two put out. When the recycling center was closed at the beginning of the pandemic, my total number of bags shot up to four.

I truly believe that the board isn’t trying to find a solution to the problem. I’ve heard since I have been here that some county commission board members would like this to go away. I don’t know how true that is but when you here it enough over the years there might be some truth to it.

I read the letter to the editor and agree that the county commissioners are not taking this seriously. I hope that changes.

On a final note I am the person that bought the Ford pickup from the RCSW. It has cost me over $2,000 to fix it. The rear differential blew out while we were taking items from the recycling center to the Habitat for Humanity Restore. So they would never put money in a truck to help get rid of recyclables.

Sincerely,

Wes Treadway