ST. JAMES — A Dixon woman was among those who were honored by the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District for their recycling efforts.
Lanette Baker of Dixon, Mayor Gary Brown of Salem, Brady Wilson of Rolla and the Round Pond Baptist Church of Salem were cited for their recycling and solid waste management efforts.
Baker is the daughter of St. Robert City Administrator Norman Herren.
The group was recognized during the Ozark Rivers annual meeting on Dec. Tuesday at the Meramec Regional Planning Commission in St. James.
Each year, the Ozark Rivers District recognizes companies and individuals that are helping the district meet its 40-percent reduction goal and to showcase them as models for others to follow.
Baker, a first-grade teacher at Dixon Elementary, started a paper recycling program in her classroom as an educational project to teach her young students the importance of recycling.
Her small classroom project grew into a school-wide initiative. She recruited her father, Herren, who picked up the paper in Dixon and transported it to the St. Robert Transfer Station.
What started as one or two boxes of paper per week grew to 3,000 pounds of paper per month, making for a tremendously successful program.
Mayor Brown has spent considerable time this past year trying to establish recycling opportunities for the city of Salem.
He has done much of the legwork and organizing for drop-off days for recyclables. He held a special collection for electronics that coincided with the solid waste district’s collection so the materials could be combined.
He also secured a grant to purchase a trailer to expand and improve the city’s recycling program.
Wilson, as the sanitation director for the city of Rolla, has successfully grown the city’s recycling program into a regional center. Ten years ago, the city recycled about 5 percent of its waste; today, it recycles 13 percent and as high as 17 percent when yard waste is included.
The Rolla Recycling Center has made money and has allowed garbage collection rates to remain the same for five years.
He has expanded the recycling center and composting operations over the years and recently added a Household Hazardous Waste satellite collection facility, with the help of the solid waste district.
Round Pond Baptist Church, Salem, was honored for its volunteerism to help pick up trash and debris and dispose of it properly.
The church has adopted nearly nine miles of state highways in Dent County and ensures they are litter-free. James Lewis accepted the award on behalf of the church. In addition to helping the church with its adopt-a-highway, Lewis also keeps his county road picked up and free of trash.
Chairman Scott Murrell commented on the efforts of those recognized. “You can have civilization; you can have people; you can have a clean environment. You just have to work hard at it,” Murrell said.
Prior to the awards presentation, MRPC Environmental Programs Specialist Tammy Snodgrass showcased the Conical Sink illegal dump cleanup accomplished by MRPC and the US Forest Service in partnership with the South Central Correctional Center and a host of volunteers.
The majority of the funding for the project came from the solid waste district and Missouri Department of Natural Resources. When all was done, some 59,000 pounds of trash was removed and 11,500 pounds of metal and 126 tires were recycled.
The Ozark Rivers District includes Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities with populations of 500 or more. Scott Murrell of Fort Leonard Wood serves as chairman. The district's strategy for reduction, which has been individually adopted by all member governments and approved by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, involves intense education and increased recycling efforts in member counties and cities.
Ozark Rivers contracts with MRPC to provide day-to-day operations and oversee special projects on behalf of the district.
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