JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — The drop off recycling in Jefferson Parish has become very popular and growing every weekend, but that pilot program is about to take a pause.
So, what's in the future?
Every Saturday morning, citizens of Jefferson Parish hand-sort, and then hand-deliver their waste that can be recycled.
“I think it's really important that we recycle what we can because we know the planet is really suffering, and if we don't do our part, then we just contribute to that,” said Linda Dublin.
“I feel like, you know, it's going into a landfill if we don't recycle, and if you recycle you can reuse the products,” said Debbie Meredith.
“We really need recycling for not just the parish, but for the planet,” said a man who recycles. When asked how he would feel if the program stopped, he replied, “ I feel really disappointed. Would be a great loss.”
The drop off pilot program is ending after Saturday, Sept. 28, but the parish is looking for solutions.
“People have told us loud and clear on the East Bank and West Bank, please don't let this go away,” said Jefferson Parish Councilwoman At-Large Jennifer Van Vrancken.
Jefferson Parish has been tracking those numbers of people willing to sit in line on a Saturday morning, to bring their recycling. And on the East Bank, it's more than 400 cars, and on the West Bank, it's nearly 200.
So, Councilwoman Van Vrancken says at Wednesday's council meeting, they came up with a short-term plan. After this Saturday, the drop-off will stop for a few weeks while the new funding they allocated is out for bid. Then it will pick back up through the beginning of next year.
REALCYCLE has been handling the East Bank site and says the program costs more than the government subsidy.
“We really need the government to support this, to do the right thing, to ensure that these materials don't end up in our soil, don't end up in our water. This is for the future of Jefferson Parish,” explained Benjamin Bagwill, the founder of REALCYCLE.
Long term, Jefferson Parish is considering all options, including curbside, drop-offs, public-private partnerships, and even ways to reuse recyclables, like with glass ground down into sand.
“And that sand is going to be used to put along our coastline now, in places like Bucktown along the Lake Pontchartrain lakefront,” said Van Vrancken.
REALCYCLE hopes to continue its partnership with the parish.
“This glass bottle, or this banana peel, or this plastic bottle, can have another life if we handle it properly,” added Bagwill.
So again, there is drop off recycling on the east and west banks of Jefferson Parish Saturday, Sept. 28.
Then it stops, and WWL Louisiana will let you know when it starts back up in a few weeks.
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