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Green initiatives are everywhere and many people in Randolph County became accustomed to doing their part by dropping off recyclable goods at a large trailer behind Elkins City Hall or at Davis & Elkins College. Recently, the Randolph County Solid Waste Authority removed the trailers because markets for the materials have nearly hit bottom. Unable to receive the same amount of money that was once coming in for the recyclable products and faced with a warehouse full of the goods, the entity was no longer able keep the amenity available to the public.

The RCSWA has approached the Randolph County Commission and city of Elkins for financial support while the markets are down. In March, the County Commission contributed $5,000 to the RCSWA, however, the city has not provided additional funds. Meanwhile, the RCSWA continues to be behind on its rent to Tygarts Valley Sanitation and Treasurer Vonda Gumm's salary and markets do not indicate the entity will be able to improve its financial situation soon.

On Tuesday evening, TVS President Fred Hornick presented RCSWA members with a proposal that would allow his business to take over the RCSWA's recycling operation. He asked members to consider leasing the equipment owned by the RCSWA to TVS for $1 per year for five years. The proposal states that TVS would continue operations as normal except for the distribution of recycling trailers; all processed inventory will become property of TVS and any or all money received will go directly to TVS; and TVS has the discretion of keeping the employees who are currently employed by the RCSWA or dismissing them.

"It's (the recycling program) is going downhill," Hornick said. "For us to take it over, it's not going to be a big burden on us."

County Commissioner and RCSWA member Chris See told Hornick a contract for a lease agreement would need to be drafted if the RCSWA approves the proposal. The lease agreement would need to include information about who would be responsible for equipment repairs, See added. See also said county commissioners have been discussing ideas of how to permanently stabilize the RCSWA's recycling program; and the three commissioners plan to travel to Upshur County Friday to find out how it operates its recycling business.

RCSWA Chairman Tim Hornick, whose family owns TVS, left the meeting room and did not participate in the discussion between RCSWA members and Fred Hornick. After the meeting, Tim Hornick explained to The Inter-Mountain that TVS is not dependent on the markets for recyclable goods and if his business took over the recycling program, the community would still have the option to drop off recyclable goods at bins.

During the meeting, Tim Hornick explained he has spoken to the city of Elkins Finance and Sanitation Committee and Mayor Duke Talbott about contributing to the RCSWA during the down market time and therefore enabling recycling bins to be available for the public. All the talks have gone "no where," he told the RCSWA.

"The reason is, the city of Elkins is in a situation where they own the landfill and it's low volume and in order to keep that landfill open they need everything that they possibly get going in there," Tim Hornick said.

Because of high dumping rates per ton, other sanitation service providers do not use the landfill, he added.

"I've suggested to them before that they can bring their cardboard to the recycling center, dump it at no charge, save space in their landfill, save tipping fees and do the right thing by recycling their cardboard and they refuse to do that," Tim Hornick said. "Their thinking is totally opposite of what it should be. Most people are trying to pull everything out of their landfill and they're trying to put everything in there."

RCSWA members Clark Martin, Steve Kerens and See did not take action on the proposal during the meeting. Tim Hornick said he will not cast a vote on the proposal because of ethical standards.

If the RCSWA allows TVS to take over the recycling operation, the government entity would still exist in the county. The board would still meet and receive approximately $2,000 to $3,000 each month from Solid Waste Management and a percentage of tipping fees from the city of Elkins, Tim Hornick estimated. After paying off the RCSWA's debt, the board could focus on educating the public about recycling, support grants and assist businesses with purchasing equipment, members discussed. Kerens explained that residents have good intentions about recycling, but many need to be educated about types of materials that can be recycled.

The RCSWA did vote to pay TVS two months of back rent and two months back salary to Gumm.

"The problem is if the markets don't get any better next month at this time, we're going to be sitting here trying to figure this stuff (bills) out again," Tim Hornick said. "It's only going to get worse if the markets don't pick back up."

Members will likely vote on the TVS proposal during the December RCSWA meeting, which will be at 5 p.m. Dec. 1 at the TVS office.

Those interested in recycling may take materials to Randolph County Recycling or Elkins Iron and Metal in the Industrial Park. Randolph County Recycling accepts nearly all types of paper and Elkins Iron and Metal will take aluminum cans, Tim Hornick said.