Williamson County recycling is for county residents only
by
When it comes to recycling, Davidson County and Williamson County have very different points of view.
Williamson County allows only Williamson County residents to recycle at the 13 satellite drop off facilities situated around the county.
Davidson County doesn’t care where you come from, as long as you recycle.
We’re not talking household waste, or garbage. We are talking recyclable materials like glass and plastic and newspapers.
The difference in philosophy across a county line is the focus of tonight’s that is messed up.
The issue was brought to our attention by a 20 year old U.T. student named Armond Agassi. The Agassi family lives in Davidson County, about 2 miles from the Brentwood city limit.
A few days before Christmas, Agassi’s mother asks her son to take the recyclables to the recycling drop off site.
The Agassi’s have always used the facility on Wilson Pike in Williamson County. But on this day, he says he is met by a man who tells him he cannot recycle there.
“He says you don’t live in Williamson County and you don’t pay property tax and so you cannot recycle. I am just trying to recycle, and do something good, instead of throwing it in the garbage.”
Agassi is frustrated by the rule, especially since he says almost everything he is recycling was purchased in Williamson County.
“So we buy most of our grocery’s and goods in Williamson so why can’t we recycle in Williamson county?,” Agassi asks. “We should be able to recycle in Williamson county or where ever it is easiest cause if you take the initiative to recycle you should not be penalized for it,” the young business student exclaims.
We go to the recycling center which is bustling with activity. Glass here, cardboard there. It’s good to see so many people being “green.”
I personally notate several out-of-county plates in the parking lot, but no one is being turned away.
One man from Hamilton County openly points out his out of county status as he carries several loads of recyclables to the bin.
I go to the sign at the entry way and there is absolutely no doubt what the rule is:
WILLIAMSON COUNTY RECYCLING DROP OFF SITE
WILLIAMSON COUNTY RESIDENTS ONLY.
NO OUT OF COUNTY USE
I encounter Paul Webb who is recycling. He tells me he has lived in Brentwood for 24 yeard
“We believe in it and it is easy, the county put this out for us to use and the recycling program benefits the schools. They contribute back to the school.”
I tell Webb about Agassi’s situation. Webb has this to say.
“If everyone came down from Davidson County and started recycling it might be crazy. And you run the risk, of over burdening this facility. That is the ying and the yang of it all. We all must understand he lives in another political entity, and there is an invisible line there.”
For perspective we go to a drop off center in Davidson County. The facility is also bustling. While most of the license tags are from Davidson County I notice one from the Memphis area.
I see a lot of signs on what can and cannot be recycled here, but there are no signs that mandate Davidson County residency only.
Public Works PIO Gwen Hopkins tells me:
Davidson County has 3 convenience centers: this is a place where you can drop off household trash. Household garbage. Furniture. Appliances etc.. You have to be a Davidson County resident to leave non recyclables at these convenience Centers. You will be asked for proof of residency.
But when it comes to recycling. We have relaxed our recycling restrictions.
The reason: recycling generates revenue for us. We actually get paid for the recycling.
There is no way to police it. It is not staffed. We don’t care who drops off here. We want people to recycle. We want trash kept out of the landfill.
Our idea is: Don’t mess with mother nature. We are trying to change the mind set of people.
Think green. We want to make it easy and convenient so it is not a hassle.
If it is not convenient people won’t recycle.
Lewis Bumpus is the Solid Waste Director for Williamson County. Bumpus tells me:
Williamson County WILL accept out of county recyclables but only at one facility, in Franklin at 420 Century Court. The facility is called the Material Recovery Facility and it accepts all manner of recyclables from surrounding counties. Bumpus says if you bring materials that have value they will pay you for bringing these items to the facility. Those items include: paper, Newspaper, Aluminium cans, tin cans, office paper, newspapers, magazines, plastics.
Bumpus reiterates that out of county residents cannot drop off recyclables at any of the county’s satellite drop off sites like the one on Wilson Pike.
Bumpus adds: To help save trips and reduce congestion Williamson County offers 13 drop off sites. The tax payer pays for this.
To run that center on Wilson Pike costs several thousand dollars a year. Last year, just cardboard and plastic alone; we took 471 loads from that Wilson Pike facility. Each load goes to the recycling center.
Bumpus adds:
Williamson County has great schools. They can’t send their kids to our schools. Go to Montgomery or Cheatham, it also says do not accept out of county waste.
I ask if it is patrolled. Bumpus says:
If we catch anyone, we explain to them to carry it to the material recycling center.
I tell Bumpus about the Agassi family that purchased most of its groceries in Williamson County. Bumpus says:
The recycling sites are paid for by property tax, not sales tax. For Example: if you own land in Williamson, let’s say 15,000 acres, but you live in Davidson County, you can’t use the center on Wilson Pike. You have to be a resident in Williamson where you pay property taxes.
When the materials are picked up and then sold to the recycling center, the money generated goes to Williamson schools for environmental programs. Williamson county schools benefit.
Finally, we talk to Williamson County Resident, tim Steed who doesn’t like Williamson county’s policy:
“That is a shame. It is about mother Earth. We all share this Earth, as middle Tennesseans, Williamson county and Davidson county, there should not be a divide there. It’s about recycling.
Loading …
It must have been a very slow day for messed up stories. Granted you should be able to leave recycled material anywhere because it is usually a money maker for those who run the program. I’m sure that the Williamson County Waste Management policy makers applied one policy across the board for both recycled material and refuse. As a Williamson County resident I don’t want to pay for refuse that out of county individuals leave in my county. Therefore, I’m fine with having one policy even though it sounds a little misguided on the front end.
I thought the whole point of recycling was to save the planet. I didn’t realize that saving the planet is dependent on where you pay taxes and who buys what bins. Why is it when it comes to doing anything people take on a grade school mentality? I say if it’s for the sake of saving the planet let people put it where it needs to go. No matter where that may be.
If it is posted,it is not really “messed up”. There are plenty of places around to recycle. What is messed up is that people don’t know how to properly recycle. Every time that I take my recycling to the bins at my local Kroger, there are always items in the plastic bin that do not belong. But once again people apparently can’t read. The bin is clearly marked for 1 and 2 plastic only, yet people throw in bags and even plastic shelving and tubs. It is my understanding that this can cause an entire load to be rejected. That is what is “messed up”.
If Williamson County is losing money when others use its recycle site then I don’t blame them for limiting its use to county residents only. The Nashville site I use gets lots of Wilson County folks. The problem I have with recycling sites is the folks who put stuff in the bins that don’t belong there (like styrofoam) or stack stuff up outside the bins.
[...] brought you a story about college student who was told he couldn’t recycle in Williamson COunty because his [...]