By Rupert Howell
It’s National Recycling month and Panola County with aid of a grant is touting the advantages and need for the reuse of our throwaways. Maybe you’ve seen the banners, t-shirts or ad elsewhere in this newspaper.

We have yet to make it to curbside pickup, but the recycling program in Batesville and Panola County is gaining momentum.

No one can argue the benefits although there are down sides to the reuse of consumable packaging, papers and plastic.

One of them is it takes effort. You have to separate your recyclables and wash out the goo—then you haul it to the recycle location.

Those old enough to remember having to take garbage to the nearest gully and later to a community dumpster know what I’m writing about.

It took curbside pickup to make a serious dent in roadside dumping of household garbage.
And those wishing to recycle need to learn what is and isn’t accepted at the recycling site located on Van Voris Street across from Sullivan’s Drug Store.

Newspapers (preferably old ones, thank you) cardboard, water and soda bottles as well as food and vegetable cans along with other types of plastic bottles and such may go into the recycle bins.

Sorry, glass, aluminum foil, plastic bags, bubble and plastic wrap, tissue, oil and paint, waxed containers and medical waste are items that can’t be recycled here yet. And don’t put your recyclables into plastic bags and throw them into the bin. That’s a no-no.

But those in the know say that 60 percent of our rubbish can be recycled.

That’s a lot of space saved in somebody’s landfill that ultimately means fewer trips for our solid waste department. The less space we use and the fewer loads we carry there, the less cost to the solid waste department. Also our “stuff” gets another life.

And guess who benefits? Those of us in Batesville and Panola County will benefit, that’s who. Currently, local recyclables are being taken to the Oxford recycling center.

Besides being the right thing to do, recycling is trendy. Not just pretty trendy, it’s smart trendy, and a good lesson to teach youngsters.

Don’t wait for some liberal legislation to force us to recycle. We’re smarter than that. We can do it on our own. See you at the recycle dumpsters.

Give a hoot and . . . recycle.