Helping the planet: Eastside recycling center opens in Terre Haute

David Kronke, The Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, Ind.
·3 min read

Feb. 16—Terre Haute's new eastside recycling center opened Wednesday at the City Street Department facility at the corner of Deming and South 14th streets. Traffic appeared to be light, but people are just beginning to acclimate to the fact that they no longer need to trek to the north side of the city.

Users of the service are asked to enter and exit the 14th Street gate between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Three recycling bins are located against the chain link fence on the east boundary of the complex. Those who take advantage of the service are asked to be mindful that city employees work in and around the facility, though they tend not to monitor the recycling area.

The city's Facebook page said that county residents can use the recycling centers, as well.

Stacey Johnson of Terre Haute was one of the first to avail herself to the new service, around 1 p.m. Wednesday.

"I saw it on Facebook and I was excited, so I didn't have to run it up north because I really don't like recycling, but I find that I feel guilty if I don't do it," she said. "I'm all a part of saving the Earth, so I was excited to have to have it closer to me."

But it took some perseverance to locate the center.

"It was a little difficult to find," Johnson said. "I had to drive a little bit." She lamented the lack of signage — there is a sign at the Street Department's gate, but it's not terribly big and is a little busy for a passing motorist to fully digest.

Nonetheless, Johnson said, "I'm glad to be a part of it. I appreciate the new mayor and the things he's trying to change, especially for our animals."

Signs on the bins explain what is and is not acceptable to deposit in the bins. The city's recycling center website at bit.ly/3OHhHne offers other directions for their use:

—Deposit recyclables loosely into the bins. Boxes must be broken down.

—No thin plastic bags or wrap will be taken, as thin plastic will jam up the sorting machine.

—Glass is also not currently being accepted at the eastside recycling center, but will be collected in the near future. Recycled glass should be taken to the Vigo County Solid Waste Management Facility at 3230 E. Haythorne Ave.

—Recycled materials must be clean and dry. Bottles such as milk jugs and ketchup bottles need to be rinsed out and dried.

The recycling website quotes Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakbun: "I acknowledge that this center isn't perfect. But we have to start somewhere. Change does not happen overnight."

Sakbun elaborated in a message to the Tribune-Star. "The goal is to ... expand services to e-waste and tires, then look at hours of operation. Our current time is 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., so we will take a look at that. This is a good start, but a lot of work [is left] to do."{/div}{/div}