LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Some people in Lexington are surprised to hear their recyclables are actually ending up in a city dump.
That is because officials said that the baler at the recycling plant is broke and there is nowhere else to put the waste.
“It is disappointing because I, like, got out in the rain today and loaded up and brought it over here,” said Lexington resident Mary Green.
People such as Green were surprised when showing up to drop stuff off at the Recycling Center, only to find out that their recyclables are ending up at a Lexington landfill.
“I specifically bring it here, so I know it’s not ending up in the dump because I do produce a lot of trash, so I try to be a responsible citizen,” said Green.
City officials tell LEX 18 that the equipment failure at the plant has brought operations to a halt and there is nowhere else to store the recyclables. They say that they always encourage people to recycle, but until the repairs are made, plastic bottles and cardboard will end up in the trash one way or another.
“I thought there would be a sign or something that says, ‘Hey, we’re not dumping in it in the recycling right now,’ or at least, I don’t know if they can, like, hold the recycling and wait until it gets fixed?” Green said.
City officials said they do not have a timeline for when the baler might be fixed, but they hope to get the plant up and running as soon as possible.
