Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, March 30, 1990                   TAG: 9003300848
SECTION: MISCELLANEOUS                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: MONICA DAVEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MONETA                                LENGTH: Medium

FIRST RECYCLING CENTER IN BEDFORD COUNTY TO OPEN SATURDAY

County Supervisor Calvin Updike will actually cut a ribbon - strung with cans - at the 11:30 a.m. opening behind the Moneta fire station. The ceremony will include door prizes, entertainment from a clown and free soft drinks.

The Moneta drop-off site, which will accept glass, drink cans and newspapers, is the first of seven planned drop-off centers in each of the county's districts. The Moneta site, which is to be open 24 hours a day, will be lit at night for safety.

The next three drop-off points - at Jefferson Forest High School, next to Big Island's fire station, and next to Stewartsville's library - should be in operation by the end of June.

Funds gained from the sale of recyclable goods will go back into the community where the goods were dropped off, said Kelly Schwartz, who is in charge of the county's recycling efforts. Bedford's Action to Save the Environment (BASE) will take requests from community organizations and make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors, which will ultimately hand out any profits.

The funds, though, are not expected to offset the cost of renting the drop-off stations and hauling the recycleables. This year, those costs will be covered by a joint city-county grant of $5,000. Next year, the Board of Supervisors has been asked for $42,000 in county funds to pay for recycling. The board will adopt its budget next month.

The cost of recycling will depend somewhat on county response to the effort. If a lot of people turn in their cans and glass, hauling will be more frequent and cost more.