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County Recycling A Grassroots Creation
Story by Rachel Connor
Photos by Karmeece Watson
Amanda Cutshaw is the recylcing education coordinator for Madison County, a job that grew out of a secretarial position. Photo by Karmeece Watson. |
By mid-afternoon, the Madison County Landfill workers begin to wind down after a day that is literally filled with trash. Some workers spend their entire day driving and loading the trash from around the county onto trucks, and others have to haul that trash to Tennessee, where Madison County is currently disposing its trash because its landfill is full. Amanda Cutshaw works at the landfill, but her days are quite different from her co-workers. Presently, she is the recycling education coordinator for Madison County; although four years ago, when she began working at the landfill, she was only a part-time secretary. Her new job was created for her by Madison County in an attempt to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and to become more involved in its process.
“I had no background in recycling, other than doing it at home,” she said. However, her inexperience has not hindered her, and she has taken on her job with full force. She oversees the entire recycling effort at the landfill, composed of five staff who recycle paper, cardboard, plastic and glass.
A crew of five processes the tons of recycling that is run through the Madison County landfill site destined for other markets. Photo by Karmeece Watson.
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"I have three truck drivers, one cardboard guy, and one glass guy,” she explained to The Hilltop staff during a recent tour of the recycling areas at the landfill site, west of Marshall. The drivers haul the recycling to places that will buy it – or at least take it so the county does not have to throw the materials away.
The cardboard employee must sift through all the cardboard brought to the site, tear off any paper, empty food and bundle the boxes into a massive squared-ton. The glass worker picks up any glass in and around the incoming trash and deposits it into a large bin.
"None of us had any recycling experience either,” said Doug Payne, a recycling employee on the site. However, one look at the product of a day's work illustrates a dedication to this cause.
While sifting through recycling, two of Cutshaw’s workers can be heard laughing, and she smiles and says, “I really do enjoy working here.” Cutshaw’s work away from the site is most rewarding to her. “I love what I do – I get to work with kids and save people jobs,” she said. She travels around to the area’s schools and educates the students and faculty about the significance of recycling. Several weeks ago, she spoke with MHC’s vice president of administration, Bob McLendon, and sustainability advocate on campus, Paul Smith, about more recycling that the college could do.
But recycling is taking a hit because of the economy, too. “Recycling is like the rest of the economy – it is falling out,” Cutshaw said during The Hilltop tour in February. Recycling workers around the United States have been laid off just as business employees have.
However, Cutshaw is hopeful. She is hopeful that the county can rise above a recycling rate of 9 percent participation by county residents and businesses. She is hopeful that Mars Hill College will continue to improve its recycling rate of 19 percent. She is hopeful that people in Madison County, in the country and around the globe will begin to understand that they can alleviate the pressing problem of excess waste. For Cutshaw, recycling is a simply matter of education, understanding and action.
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