helping the Troy program

By BETH LAKEY

Staff Writer

Recyclers from across Alabama made their way to Pike County on Thursday to tour Troy’s recycling center and area industries that use old materials to make new ones.

Bill Rice Sr., recycling coordinator for the city of Troy, hosted members of the Alabama Recycling Coalition and showed them how "Troy is really involved in recycling.

"It’s a great recycling town," Rice said after everyone had gathered at the Troy Recycling Center that went into operation just a few months ago.

The new 12,500-square-foot facility is on the same site as the much smaller one that was destroyed by an electrical fire in February 2000.

"It was better to keep the program going," Rice explained to those in attendance.

But keeping the city’s recycling program in operation would not have been possible without cooperation without entities, such as Waste Recyclers.

Because of help received from Waste Recyclers’ Mount Scrap, Troy Mayor Jimmy Lunsford presented president Bobby Armstrong and vice president Bill Harris a proclamation recognizing their part in keeping recycling in Troy.

The official recognition acknowledged Mount Scrap loaned the city’s recycling program a horizontal baler, an upright baler and a trailer van, "making it possible for the City of Troy to resume its recycling efforts in a temporary location" while plans for a new facility were being made.

"Recycling is near and dear to our hearts," Lunsford said, adding the recycling business "is big here."

After the fire, a "quick decision" had to be made as to whether or not the program would continue.

"We knew if we shut down, the mindset could change," the mayor said of citizens’ habits of putting out the blue recycling bags.

"We would not have survived without help from Waste Recyclers who were extremely generous."

Lunsford also said he was "extremely proud" of Rice and the recycling operation.

Rice said he was proud to have the assistance that allowed the city "to keep the program going" for almost a year while the new facility was being planned for and constructed.