Council Wants to Hear from Community = Single-Stream Recycling a Goal of University

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the April 27 meeting of the Sewanee Community Council, Vice-Chancellor John McCardell thanked council representatives and community members for participating in the picnic and informal meeting with the University trustees on April 23. A discussion followed about how to improve the effectiveness of the council in giving voice to community concerns.

In the past, the community interaction with the University trustees occurred at a town meeting where the community heard reports from University entities such as the Lease Committee and then had an opportunity to raise questions.

A council meeting visitor commented that a single question often dominated the discussion. Council representatives voiced approval of having an opportunity to talk one-on-one with trustees. Representative David Coe said, “I was impressed with the interest the trustees showed in our small town issues.”

Responding to the complaint that some community members missed the town meeting format, council representative Barbara Schlicting said, “We could have updates here, and grievances should be brought here.” McCardell agreed. “This is the place where those things should be brought first,” he said. Council representative Phil White suggested prior to the next trustees’ visit in October, the council invite the community to air grievances and raise issues at a council meeting designated for that purpose.

Coe suggested the council again host a gathering where Council representatives meet with their constituent like the event held in March 2013.

To make council representation more democratic, a committee composed of Pam Byerly, John Flynn, Barbara Schlicting, Theresa Shackelford and John Swallow will address redrawing district boundaries to equalize population distribution, electing at-large representatives, and possibly reducing term lengths from four to two years.

The council approved meeting dates for 2015–16, scheduling regular meetings for Aug. 31, Oct. 16, Jan. 25, Mar. 28 and May 23. On non-meeting months, a day was reserved for a meeting if community issues dictated a need.

Community members recommended new signage at two locations, a blue “Hospital” sign at the entrance to Emerald Hodgson Hospital and a “Trucks Entering Highway” sign at the junction of Hwy. 41A and Finney Lane. Sewanee police chief Marie Eldridge will contact the Franklin County Highway Department about these requests.

Updating the council on recycling and trash collection concerns, Michael Gardner the University’s director of physical plant services, said the University’s goal is to adopt single-stream recycling, where the recycling items do not require sorting. In doing so, however, it may make it necessary to have separate vendors for residential and University trash collection.

Franklin County Solid Waste Management does not offer single-stream recycling, Gardner said, and there are no Franklin County vendors that offer the service. Gardner said discussion was underway with four vendors, including the current service provider, Joe B. Long. 

Gardner plans to have a contract proposal at the next council meeting scheduled for June 22.

A History of Recycling and Trash in Franklin County

by Carol Fulmer, Special to the Messenger

Franklin County’s convenience centers provide citizens with a clean, user-friendly location to bring their recyclables and trash. Before 1970, county waste was taken to a designated piece of property where garbage was simply dumped. According to a 1966 survey, there were about 270 sanctioned dumps in Tennessee, many with problems such as odors, smoke, flies and rodents. 

The issue of groundwater contamination was addressed in 1976 when the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act was passed, prohibiting open dumping. This legislation required the county to have an engineered landfill that addressed many environmental issues. In response, Franklin County began using green boxes often located on the sides of the road; many times they were filled to overflowing. 

With the passage of the Solid Waste Act of 1991, constructing a landfill became more difficult. The regulations were needed to protect the public health, but made constructing a Subtitle D landfill too costly for most counties (the estimated cost was $300,000–$500,000 per acre). The 1991 law encouraged counties to move to the convenience center system by issuing grants for site construction; it also contained a waste-reduction mandate, requiring counties to make a 25 percent reduction in their landfill usage. Now Franklin County operates convenience centers across the county (including in Sewanee, Sherwood, Alto and Cowan) that provide clean, safe places for citizens to participate in recycling and to dispose of waste. When an individual puts something into the trash, it costs the county$31.87 per ton to handle the waste. But when an item is recycled, not only does the county not have to pay, but it makes money. Last year Franklin County spent $333,233 in landfill fees for waste, much of which could have been recycled. During the same time period, the county received $148,354 from the sale of recyclables. For recycling, the county accepts paper, cardboard, plastic containers #1–#7, aluminum and metal. Prices for recycling fluctuate; currently the county is receiving $105 per ton for cardboard, $60 per ton for newspaper, $210 per ton for metal and $130 per ton for plastic containers #1–7. 

Franklin County recycles all cardboard, even if it is wet. The cardboard is baled and stored until a truckload has accumulated; it is then taken to RockTenn for processing. There, the material is shredded in a water solution and made into a pulp; it is saturated in water as part of the recycling process. 

The county sells aluminum and metal to CFC in Manchester, which sells to a smelting company that makes it into new products. Plastic containers go to various companies, such as Recycle America, where the material is separated, chipped and sold to make things such as toys, T-shirts, carpet, bottles, garbage cans and picnic tables.

Everyone is encouraged to further reduce their contribution to landfill waste by composting, donating clothing to charity and recycling computers, televisions, computer and printer cartridges and rechargeable batteries at the Recycling Center on Joyce Lane, Winchester. By separating recycling from trash, everyone benefits from conserving natural resources, saving tax dollars and reducing energy usage. 

For more information visit <www.iswarecycle.net> or phone 962-9048.

Fulmer is the regional administrator of the Interlocal Solid Waste Authority.

Council Celebrates 50th Anniversary, Renews Garbage Collection Contract

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the Jan. 27 meeting of the Sewanee Community Council, University Vice-Chancellor John McCardell announced that this meeting marked the 50th anniversary of the council. The council posed for an anniversary photograph.

At the Dec. 2, 2013, meeting of the council, they approved renewal of the current garbage collection contract with Joe B. Long through June 2015. 

The current contract for garbage collection expires on June 30. Anticipating the expiration of the contract, Barbara Schlichting, superintendent of leases, conducted a preliminary review of garbage collection and related issues. Schlichting said more information was needed in order to prepare a request for proposals (RFP) and invite bids. “Glass recycling costs $4,000 over what the glass makes,” she said by way of illustration.

Schlichting recommended the council extend the current contract for one or two years to allow time for research. Schlichting said Long agreed to a one- or two-year extension without a rate increase. The current monthly rate for residential pickup is $23.25.

Council representative Chet Seigmund said he knew of several contractors who were interested in bidding on garbage collection services in Sewanee. 

Acknowledging that time was needed for research, the council approved extending the contract with Long for one year with the stipulation the Lease Office prepare a RFP by January 2015.

Reporting on the plans to revitalize the downtown area, Frank Gladu, the vice president of administrative services, said the University would be working with the architectural firm Ayers Saint Gross this spring to create the next steps in the process, building on research and community input acquired over the past few years. Three workshops are planned.

The next meeting of the council is Feb. 24.

Sort Recycling With Care

Joe B. Long reports that residents are not separating materials as carefully as they should. When recycling items are not sorted properly, the items are put in with standard trash, defeating the purpose of recycling. If you participate in the recycling program, Long asks that residents please remember the following guidelines.
All recycled items must be sacked in blue bags, available from the University Lease Office, 110 Carnegie Hall, or at the Physical Plant Services office on Alabama Avenue, or at the PPS warehouse on Georgia Avenue.
Bags should be placed on the side of the road no later than 7:30 a.m. on the morning of pickup. Items to be recycled must be sorted and placed in separate bags. If plastic bottles are mixed in with tin cans, the entire bag goes to the trash.
Aluminum cans: Rinse the cans and store with other aluminum materials such as clean aluminum foil and pie pans. Crushing the cans is optional.
Tin cans: Tin cans need to be rinsed before storing, but the labels do not have to be taken off. The end of the can does not have to be removed. Crushing the cans is optional.
#1 (PET) Plastic: Remove the lid and rinse out the container. This category includes two-liter drink bottles, peanut butter jars and plastics that are stamped with the recycling triangle with the number 1.
#2 (HDPE) Plastic: Remove the lid and rinse. Some examples in this category are milk jugs, detergent bottles and plastics that are stamped with the recycling triangle with the number 2.
Mixed Paper: Flatten paperboard boxes from cereal, crackers and other items.
Among the unacceptable items are plastic shopping bags such as those used at grocery stores and drugstores; cardboard milk or juice cartons; boxes with food products stuck to them; wax-coated cardboard; polystyrene pellets (packing peanuts) and Styrofoam inserts.

What To Do With All That Stuff? Donate It To These Organizations!

by Pagie Wilson C’14, Messenger Intern

Spring cleaning, moving out of a dorm, leaving Sewanee for a new adventure: all these are great opportunities to leave your housewares, clothes and other items you no longer need with agencies that help people across the Mountain.

The Franklin County Convenience Center, 132 Missouri Ave., accepts all recycling except for glass. This is a new location for the center. To recycle glass, take it to Sewanee’s PPS warehouse on Kennerly Avenue.

Sewanee’s Hospitality Shop, located at 1096 University Ave., accepts clothing of all sizes, and also takes children’s toys, books, gift items, housewares and small appliances. There is a donation bin behind the building.

The Community Action Committee in Sewanee accepts nonperishable food items, cleaning supplies (laundry detergent, cleansers) and paper products such as paper towels and toilet paper. It is located at 258 Lake O’Donnell Rd.; 598-5927.

For prescriptions that are either expired or no longer needed, take them to the Sewanee Police Department for safe disposal.

Blue Monarch, a residential program to help women and children in abusive situations, is in need of different sized sheets, ranging from crib sheets to king size, cleaning supplies and towels. To make a donation call (931) 924-8900.

The Appalachian Women’s Guild accepts children’s and adult clothing, small household items and non-perishable food items. It is located at 492 Main St., Tracy City.

Bicycles in working condition can be donated to Woody’s Bike Shop, 90 Reed’s Lane, Sewanee.

The Franklin County Library accepts donations of books, audio books, CDs, DVDs and videos. It is located at 105 S. Porter St., Winchester; 967-3706.

Goodwill bins are located in nearby cities: at 361 Kimball Crossing, Jasper; 1905 N. Jackson St. #120, Tullahoma; and 2161 Hillsboro Blvd. #5, Manchester.

Finally, remember that no one wants things that are broken, dirty or incomplete. If you wouldn’t give an item to a friend, think twice before donating it to one of these organizations.

Sort Recycling With Care

Curbside recycling will be in Sewanee on Friday, March 1. Joe B. Long reports that residents are not separating materials as carefully as they should. When recycling items are not sorted properly, the items are put in with standard trash, defeating the purpose of recycling. If you participate in the recycling program, Long asks that residents please remember the following guidelines.

All recycled items must be sacked in blue bags, available from the University Lease Office, 110 Carnegie Hall, or at the Physical Plant Services office on Alabama Avenue, or at the PPS warehouse on Georgia Avenue. 

Bags should be placed on the side of the road no later than 7:30 a.m. on the morning of pickup. Items to be recycled must be sorted and placed in separate bags. If plastic bottles are mixed in with tin cans, the entire bag goes to the trash.

Aluminum cans: Rinse the cans and store with other aluminum materials such as clean aluminum foil and pie pans. Crushing the cans is optional.

Tin cans: Tin cans need to be rinsed before storing, but the labels do not have to be taken off. The end of the can does not have to be removed. Crushing the cans is optional.

#1 (PET) Plastic: Remove the lid and rinse out the container. This category includes two-liter drink bottles, peanut butter jars and plastics that are stamped with the recycling triangle with the number 1.

#2 (HDPE) Plastic: Remove the lid and rinse. Some examples in this category are milk jugs, detergent bottles and plastics that are stamped with the recycling triangle with the number 2.

Mixed Paper: Flatten paperboard boxes from cereal, crackers and other items.

Among the unacceptable items are plastic shopping bags such as those used at grocery stores and drugstores; cardboard milk or juice cartons; boxes with food products stuck to them; wax-coated cardboard; polystyrene pellets (packing peanuts) and Styrofoam inserts.