MACOMB – McDonough County's new glass recycling program, which was spearheaded by the Macomb Woman's Club, has launched, with the official ribbon-cutting taking place June 26 for the new glass-only bin in the southeast corner of the Farm King parking lot (1620 E. Jackson St.).
'We are thrilled to finally be celebrating a project that began in 2019. That's when I, along with co-chair Susan DiGrino, began the process of identifying more recycling options for the county,' Woman's Club Environmental Sub-Committee Co-Chair JoAnn Hairston-Jones told the crowd of nearly 90 who were gathered for the ribbon-cutting. 'We'd like to thank the City of Macomb, Western Illinois Regional Council, Farm King, the McDonough County Board, the University of Illinois Extension-Macomb, the McDonough County Health Department, Ripple Glass and so many others who made this a reality.
According to Hairston- Jones, while Macomb, along with other communities, have recycling pick-up, their rural neighbors do not have this option. Even though those in-town homeowners and renters can take part in the biweekly recycling pick-ups, what they might not know is that if a glass item breaks in the recycle bin, it can send the entire contents into the landfill versus a recycling center; therefore, the need for a centrally-located glass-only recycling drop-off dumpster is crucial for a community's recycling efforts, Hairston- Jones noted.
The initial grants funded the start-up costs, including Laverdiere Construction installing the concrete pad and 'bunker' on Tower Road to store glass items collected in Macomb for pick-up by Ripple Glass Recycling of Kansas City, MO, and Ripple Glass setting up the special glass-only dumpster for residents to begin dropping off their glass recyclables at the south end of Farm King's parking lot.
As the fiscal agent for the initiative, the City of Macomb was presented a ceremonial check from the Macomb Woman's Club earlier this year representing grants totaling $53,000 from the Fellheimer Trust ($38k) and the Glass Recycling Foundation ($15k), for the county's new glass recycling program.
'We appreciate the Woman's Club for their initiative and their commitment to sustainability, and to all of those who played a part in making this happen,' said Macomb Mayor Mike Inman. 'Thank you to JoAnn and Susan, and so many others, for their tenacity for this project.'
Franklin Rosario, Ripple Glass regional manager, took part in the June 26 ribbon-cutting. He told the Community News Brief that his company has collaborated with communities like Macomb across the U.S. to have their special purple glass recycling bins installed, with about 200 bins currently part of the company's partnership program.
'Ripple Glass is very excited to be in McDonough County. The project would not have been possible without all of the entities previously listed, we cannot thank them enough for their vision and determination,' Rosario said. 'We look forward to being the county's glass recycling partner for years to come.'
The Women's Club, individual contributors and city and area communities, boards and townships – including the McDonough County Board; Scotland, Lamoine, Chalmers, Macomb, Walnut Grove, Industry, Bethel, New Salem and Mound townships, and the City of Good Hope – have agreed to help foot the annual cost of the program, which is estimated at $4,0005,000/year. The Woman's Club will continue to reach out to other entries for financial support to ensure sustainability of the glass recycling program, DiGrino added. The annual upkeep includes maintenance and regular cleaning of the glass recycling bin. Other partners include the Western Illinois Regional Council and the University of Illinois Extension.
For more information on the Macomb Women's Club and their various initiatives, visit macombwomansclub- gfwc.weebly.com. For more information about Ripple Glass and its recycling efforts, visit rippleglass.
com.
