The West Tennessee Regional Recycling Hub is pleased to announce a new grant that will expand the Materials Recovery Facility to collect more and more efficiently process recyclable materials. The Recycling Partnership Grant is in the amount of $495,000. The partial grant required a match of $330,000, which increased the grant to $825,000. These funds will expand the MRF to collect more recyclables and more efficiently process the collected materials. The Hub, a regional collaboration heavily supported by Chester County, was selected because of its dedication to advancing recycling in the region. The Hub plays a vital role in advancing recycling in the West Tennessee area as well as northern Mississippi. The MRF collects and processes recyclable materials from Chester County, as well as surrounding counties and cities in Tennessee.
“The Recycling Hub is a vital part of the West Tennessee region,” Mayor Barry Hutcherson said. “With the growth we are seeing in West Tennessee, I am proud that Chester County is expanding the recycling program and facility. It’s perfect timing.” The MRF applied for and received a grant from The Recycling Partnership, a national NGO advancing the circular economy by building a better recycling system in U.S. communities and states. The Partnership receives support from the American Beverage’s Every Bottle Back initiative and the Beverage Association of Tennessee.
“Tennessee Bottlers are focused on creating jobs and a cleaner, more sustainable future,” said Greg Adkins, president & CEO of the Beverage Association of Tennessee. “This investment from American Beverage and The Recycling Partnership will go a long way toward accomplishing those goals and will help to ensure our valuable beverage containers can be remade as intended. We are grateful for this ongoing commitment so we can continue to invest in our local and rural communities.”
The Recycling Partnership grant will allow the MRF to install robotic sorters which will upgrade its processing capacity to collect and process more PET (e.g., plastic bottles) and polypropylene (e.g., yogurt containers, butter tubs, cold drink cups, and cleaning products) materials, and give the MRF the ability to economically grow recycling processing in the region. As a result, the facility will be able to begin accepting polypropylene materials (yogurt cups, etc.) which means 136,000 households in the area will now be able to recycle this material. Additionally, the project is funding the expansion of the facility’s tipping floor that will allow the MRF to accept an additional 3,500 new tons of materials per year.
“The West TN Regional Recycling Hub is a critical piece of recycling infrastructure in West Tennessee that helps more than 400,000 residents recycle, ” Amber Greene, solid waste director, said. “Since 2010, the Hub has formed effective partnerships, working toward the common goal of increasing recycling, waste diversion, and environmental education and outreach in rural West Tennessee. This grant, which we have worked on for two years, provides the opportunity for us to expand our current programs and begin recycling polypropylene. It’s an exciting step forward.”
Pictured: Left to right Tammy Marr, Education Coordinator, Shelly Fesmire, Recycling Coordinator, Buel Maness, City of Henderson Alderman, Greg Adkins, Beverage Association of Tennessee, Andrea Holland, Solid Waste Commissioner, Senator Page Walley, Jess Beal, American Beverage Association, Vincent Leray, The Recycling Partnership, Amber Greene, Solid Waste Director, Jeff Parrish, Senator Marsha Blackburn’s Office, Barry Hutcherson, Chester County Mayor, Matt Varino, Senator Hagerty’s Office, Jerry Emerson, Solid Waste Commissioner, State Representative Kirk Haston, Duane Edgin, Solid Waste Foreman, Christine Vaughen, NRT.