July 27, 2004
OUR COUNTY
D. GARY DAVIS
BRADLEY COUNTY MAYOR
Recycling is alive and well in Bradley County. For the past 12 years, KAB has operated
the recycling center on Urbane Road while Santek Environmental has operated the center
near the landfill.
A few years ago after the City of Cleveland decided to stop curbside recycling, it became
apparent that another recycling center was needed for our community. While the city
stopped curbside recycling because only a small percentage of citizens were utilizing the
service, still a large number of people did recycle and wished to continue.
After several months of working with City Manager Joe Cate on this issue, we put
together an agreement that made a third location possible. Bradley County agreed to
provide the facility, the City of Cleveland agreed to provide some funds, and KAB agreed
to oversee the operation of this new facility located on Peerless Road.
KAB has been operating the new facility for the past year while continuing to operate the
facility on Urbane Road, but recently the Board made a decision that is was “not in the
best interest for KAB to continue trying to oversee the facilities.”
The KAB charter focuses primarily on education and litter prevention, not recycling, and
it was the Executive Committee’s recommendation that KAB focus exclusively on these
issues.
Since KAB’s decision City Manager Joe Cate and I have gone back to work to find a
solution to the current situation. Our primary goal was to provide convenient recycling
services, which is the environmentally responsible thing to do.
On Monday, July 26, the Cleveland City Council approved an interlocal agreement with
Bradley County to continue our recycling services. In the agreement, Bradley County
will provide and operate the facilities at Urbane Road and Peerless Road while the City
of Cleveland will allocate funds for staffing and other expenses needed for the operation
of the centers. Santek Environmental will coordinate the collection and marketing of the
recyclables.
This arrangement is another good example of how the city and county as well as the
private sector, in this case Santek Environmental, can come together to solve a problem.
The centers are now open on a regular basis. The Peerless Road facility is open Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. The Urbane Road facility is open
Tuesday and Thursday from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. and on Saturday from 9:00 a.m.
until 1:00 p.m.
These facilities accept mixed paper, cardboard, aluminum, and clear, green, and brown
glass. They also accept old cell phones.
Also, Santek Environmental continues to operate the facility near the landfill. The hours
of operation are Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday, 7:00 a.m.
to 3:30 p.m. Items accepted here include glass, aluminum cans, used oil, newspaper,
mixed paper, corrugated paperboard, and automobile batteries.
The recycling centers are neat and clean, and I urge all who use the facilities to help keep
them that way. With this in mind, we ask that you not bring garbage and please no
dumping!
An employee will be on hand to assist you, if needed.
Please remember, recycling is the environmentally responsible thing to do.