Published: June 29, 2009 11:58 pm      

Joint recycling program dead issue

City is looking at curbside pickup

ASHLAND — There will be no joint Ashland-Boyd County recycling program funded in part with state grant funds.

Boyd County officials said Friday they will be returning more than $150,000 in grant funds to the state Energy and Environment Cabinet this week.

Despite Ashland officials’ pledge to residents last month to revisit the issue there has been no contact between the two governments, according to county and city officials.

Recycling committee member and county economic and community development director Nickie Smith said the county has no plans of its own to pursue a recycling center or a drop-box program like Ashland’s on its own.

“The county hadn’t planned to do recycling at all until Ashland came to us to do a joint application (for state grant funds),” she said. “We have no plans right now. Who knows what the future brings.”

In contrast, Ashland City Manager Steve Corbitt said the city is investigating adding curbside pickup. He stressed the idea is in its infancy and the city is merely investigating what it would cost to add the service and how it would be done.

Corbitt said he believes the city would have to charge residents for the service and a large number would have to agree to pay before it’s added.

In the meantime, he said, the city is continuing its current drop box program with Rumpke. At the city’s request Rumpke has increased the number of times it empties the bins at the two busiest locations throughout the city.

Bins are at three points throughout Ashland — at Wal-Mart on River Hill Drive, 35th Street on the King’s Daughters Medical Supply lot, and now at Ashland Community and Technical College’s Oakview Avenue parking lot and John C. Oliverio Park. Bins were once at Blackburn Avenue across from the Old Orchard Church of Christ but were moved to ACTC on Friday at the church’s request