LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Lexington has announced a limited pilot paper recycling program in its ongoing effort to create a viable solution for recycling, according to Mayor Linda Gorton.
"We haven't found the right answer yet," said Gorton. "We will keep on trying until we find a plan that works for our city. A pilot project is a good way to test a new plan."
Lexington stopped recycling paper in May because the recycle center didn't have a place to sort the paper. Since May, officials have been exploring options to recreate the paper recycling program.
Lexington posted a paper recycling Request for Proposals in September. An RFP lets a business offer plans and pricing for a service, like paper recycling.
According to a press release, the main challenge to recycling paper is that the paper gets dirty. Dirty paper has little, to no, market value and there is currently a market for clean paper.
Starting this week, employees at The Government Center will be asked to put clean, dry paper in bins around City Hall that will be marked as "paper only." The paper can come from magazines, mass mailings and other products.
During the pilot program, the Division of Waste Management have planned to issue a new RFP to explore the different options for community-wide paper recycling. The results of the pilot program might help with the responses to the RFP.
Lexington is now encouraging people to continue reducing paper use as much as possible. They have advised to opt-out of catalogs that are of no interest, especially with the holiday season approaching.
Tips on how to reduce paper use can be found by clicking here.
