The City of Thomasville announced today that changes in the recycling market are forcing changes to the City’s drop off recycling program.
The City has been offering a free, drop off recycling program for Thomasville and Thomas County residents since 1998. When the program began, the City contracted with a vendor for the sorting and baling of recycled material, but the cost of this service became too expensive. As a result, in 1999 the City hired an inmate detail from Thomas County to sort and bale the recycled materials. The funds from the sale of the materials were used to offset the expenses of running the recycling program. In 2017, the county prison was closed and, as a result, the City lost the inmate detail that baled the material and prepared it for sale. The City is currently employing temporary labor as needed to bale and sort materials. These increased personnel costs as well as a lower market rate for the recycled material are forcing changes to the program.
“Many people are surprised to learn that recycled materials are considered commodities, and the price of the recycled material goes up and down depending on market trends,” said Nate Tyler, Director of Solid Waste & Public Works.
“In January 2018, market trends for the purchase of recycled materials and goods plummeted in price. The change in price affected the types of materials vendors will purchase and the manner in which the goods must be delivered to the buyers. As a result of the changes, in order to continue to provide a recycling service at no charge to the community, the City of Thomasville must make adjustments in our handling and processing of the recycled materials,” Tyler added.
Beginning July 9th, the following materials will be accepted at our convenient drop off recycling locations:
- Plastics with recycling codes No. 1 and No. 2 only. Look on the bottom of the container for the HDPE code to ensure we can accept the item. Please note: We can no longer accept Plastics Nos. 3 through 7.
- Aluminum cans and steel cans.
- Newspaper and magazines.
- White or shredded paper (must be separate from newspapers and magazines).
- Cardboard
- Please note: We can no longer accept glass for recycling. Unfortunately, there is not a buyer in our area.
Thomasville currently has two drop off recycling locations. One is located behind the Thomas County EMS station located at 1202 Remington Avenue. (This recycling center is accessed via Ben Grace Lane.) The second location is in the 300 block of West Jackson Street, across from the Boys and Girls Club.
In order to prepare for the changes in the recycling program, both locations will be closed from July 5th through 8th. The recycling centers will re-open and be available for use on July 9th.
“We are sorry for any inconvenience; however, the changes are required in order for us to meet the demands of our buyers and keep the centers in compliance with our rules for operation,” Tyler said.
If you have a question about the City of Thomasville’s recycling program, or any City of Thomasville service, please call our Customer Service Center at 229-227-7001 or visit Thomasville.org.