Because recycling within the county is catching on, the Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management District has added a permanent drop-off site and will continue to rotate sites each week.

"I did not realize how much interest people in the county have," said Chuck Yaniko Jr., district coordinator for the Lawrence-Scioto County Solid Waste Management District. "It is really starting to snowball."

In the two months since the program began, they received 9.4 tons of recyclable materials, Yaniko said.

"It is a good start for a new program," he said. "We will continue on and, hopefully, get bigger."

Yaniko said that in the future they hope to start working with local businesses and promote more educational programs to plant the idea in the youth of the area, he said.

Newspapers, plastic bottles, jugs and aluminum cans are accepted items. Glass bottles are no longer accepted because of problems recycling, Yaniko said.

Another problem they hope to eliminate is people putting garbage, oil, car parts and other items in the trailers. This contaminates the trailers and the recycleables, he said.

"We can't afford to dispose of people's trash," Yaniko said.

The Environmental Protection Agency mandates that counties recycle, but Lawrence and Scioto counties are going above and beyond what is expected, he said.

"The EPA is happy with what we are doing now," Yaniko said. "They haven't seen this much progress in this area for quite some time."

Even before the program began, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency reported that the Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste District led the state in recycling and waste reduction, he said.

Drop-off sites are available seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The permanent location in Lawrence County is at the Chesapeake Municipal Courthouse.

The first week of each month the trailers are at Forth's Foodfair in Proctorville.

During the second week, the recycling trailers move to Lowe's in Burlington.

On the third week of each month, the trailers will be at the Coal Grove Village Hall.

The fourth week of every month, the recycling trailers will be at Tipton's Foodland in Ironton.

The Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management District is operated by the Ironton-Lawrence County Area Community Action Organization and is funded by the Scioto and Lawrence County Board of Commissioners. Michael Caldwell/The Ironton Tribune