BLUEFIELD — Mercer County’s recycling program is now collecting two types of plastic, aluminum cans, newspaper and cardboard at a new Bluefield site and other parts of the county.
Recycling Coordinator Steve E. Cline was accepting recycling materials Thursday outside Tractor Supply off Cumberland Road. The county’s recycling program is becoming more automated to save expenses.
“We’re asking folks to help us by sorting and separating,” Cline said.
State precautions against COVID-19 shutdown the recycling program in March and part of April, he recalled. It restarted in early June on a limited schedule.
The Tractor Supply parking lot is a new location since the City of Bluefield discontinued its own program. Cline said the county program will consider more Bluefield pick-up locations such as Mitchell Stadium if residents request them.
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Materials the county recycling program is accepting includes Number 1 and Number 2 plastics only. This does not include plastic wraps, bags, Tupperware or other grades of plastic or plastic that contained motor oil.
Aluminum cans that contained soda, beer or energy drinks will be accepted. The program does not accept tin cans, aluminum foil, aluminum pie pans or pet food cans.
Newspaper, white paper and magazines will be accepted. Paper should not be mixed with cardboard. Cardboard will be accepted.
Cline said all recycling items must be separate and not thrown in bags together. Magazines and paper should be bagged or tied separately from other products.
Plastics Number 1 and Number 2 may be bagged together.
Cardboard does not need to be bagged, but boxes should be broken down flat and free of plastic bands, bubble wrap and other types of packing.
The schedule and locations for dropping off recycling is available on the Keep Mercer Clean Facebook page, Cline said.
Pick up locations and times next week include: Monday in Bramwell from 9 a.m. to noon and Big Lots in Princeton from 1 to 3 p.m.; Tuesday at the Sun Valley Ruritan from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Thursday at Glenwood Park from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and in Athens from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
