LAWRENCE COUNTY Officials plan to keep recycling on track

A $1.3 million grant will be used to build a multicounty recycling center.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Lawrence County officials will work to keep township and borough residents recycling until the countywide recycling program is operational in the fall, Commissioner Brian Burick said.
Burick said he is in discussions with various borough and township officials about the ways to provide recycling services in the boroughs and townships until the county's new recycling program begins in September.
Because there are more meetings planned with borough and township officials in the next few days, Burick did not want to give specifics about the recycling plans.
Burick said residents in some townships that have suspended recycling programs while the county system is being revamped are upset about the loss. He said planning for the new countywide system includes assisting townships and borough residents who want to continue recycling.
Commissioners Burick and Roger DeCarbo voted in March to adopt a system using new equipment compatible with that used by local haulers so that the local haulers can pick up the recyclables.
Commissioner Ed Fosnaught voted against that system because he supports the Council of Governments' choice of the Canadian-made V-Quip system now in use in Mercer County.
Official's concern
Burick said fears that the county will not use a $1.3 million grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection are unfounded. He said soon after commissioners voted for the alternate system rather than the V-Quip system, some county residents expressed concern that the county would lose the grant if the V-Quip system is not used.
The $1.3 million is for construction of a multicounty consolidation center on the Lawrence-Mercer county border. The consolidation center will be a site where recyclables from many locations can be taken, creating more volume for buyers of recycled materials.
The consolidation center will be built to accommodate trucks from both the traditional and V-Quip systems, Burick said. V-quip uses specially designed collection containers and trucks which are not interchangeable with other containers and trucks.
Burick said $100,000 of the grant will be used to promote the new countywide recycling system.
tullis@vindy.com