The Central Tennessee Solid Waste Planning Board revealed a new recycling program called Recycle Right Tennessee at Tuesday’s McMinnville Aldermen meeting.
Planning Board Chairman Donna Barrett said the new program aims to boost diversion rates in the region. Barrett said the state’s current goal for diversion rate is 25 percent in which the four-county region meets, however, the federal goal is a 50 percent diversion rate by 2030. Barrett said the program can boost the diversion rate by educating people in the region on what they can recycle and where they can recycle.
“I’ve talked to so many people that have no idea where to take the scrap metal,” Barrett said. “That we even could, in the various counties where we are around, so we realized what we were missing was the education aspect.”
Barrett said the younger generations do not know about recycling, which is a big reason why recycling in the region is not where it needs to be.
“We’ve gone through a couple of generations of it’s not expected, it’s not taught,” Barrett said. “We forgot that we knew it and expected our kids to know it, and they don’t.”
Barrett said education is just phase one of the program and that the next phase would be developing a business clearinghouse. Barrett said the program has a website that people can use to find recycling places for different materials in Warren County.
“The entities that are available to take items from businesses are different than those that will take them from residents,” Barrett said. “Just a different business model, so we will start building that out as well. This one took us about 45 days to get up and running, and the business phase will take a little bit longer.”
Barrett said the program is at no cost to the city or the county. However, Barrett requested that the city help promote the program. City Administrator Nolan Ming said that is something the city can do.
“We can definitely promote this through websites, social media, etc.,” Ming said.
Barrett said Warren County currently has 13 convenience centers and 34 private sectors that offer recycling services. Barrett said the county has recycling services for one and two-type plastics. Barrett said the planning board is currently looking for end users to bring to Tennessee who can benefit from recycled four and five-type plastics.
In other business, the aldermen approved to reappoint Lester Cowell and Fred Hoover III to the McMinnville Beer Board.
The board approved the purchase of a 2024 Ford Police Interceptor Utility Vehicle at an estimated cost of $43,300. The board also approved the purchase of four sets of night vision goggles at an estimated cost of $23,167 for the McMinnville Police Department.
The board approved to purchase a 2025 F-250 $X2 SD Regular Cab Truck at an estimated cost of $43,340 for the Parks and Rec Department.
The board approved entering two separate tourism marketing contracts. One contract was an estimated $139,000 with Designsenory, and the other was an estimated $50,000 with Advance Travel and Tourism.
The board approved the purchase of a 2014 Freightliner boom and crane truck for an estimated cost of $27,500.
The board approved to surplus dirt located at 200 Bell Street. The city will charge people per load of dirt.
