Behind the Headlines

By Dean Cousino, dean@monroenews.com

Friday was the last day for the three free countywide yard waste recycling stations to be open. They will be sorely missed until next April when they will reopen. The three sites in Ash, Bedford and Monroe Townships have served a vital role in providing a place for getting rid of grass clippings, leaves and tree limbs and keeping this debris from being dumped illegally out of our roadside ditches and other hidden areas. It is one of the most successful county programs initiated locally. I took about a dozen van loads with more than 50 barrels of stuff this fall to dump and found it so convenient than waiting for our weekly yard waste pickup in Frenchtown. The yard waste came from my home and two other yards in Erie and Temperance. While unloading, I ran into several people who mentioned how useful the recycling bins were. My only suggestion for next year is they might want to provide some staircase or platform for people like me who have to empty their barrels because we use them over and over again. In many cases, you can’t just walk into the bins, but have to throw your paper recycling bags over the side rails. That can be difficult for anyone who doesn’t have a pickup to stand on.

The county takes a lot of heat for programs that have floundered or failed, but this one has been valuable from its onset several years ago. Jamie Dean, the recycling coordinator, should be commended for arranging these bins with Homrich Inc. every spring and fall.