Corbin using grant to purchase three recycling trailers

The City of Corbin is among 53 communities across the Commonwealth selected to receive a portion of more than $3.2 million in recycling grants from the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet’s Division of Waste Management.

Corbin is slated to receive $43,069.

City Manager Marlon Sams said the grant money would be used to purchase three additional recycling bins.

“The ones we have come in full about every day,” Sams said.

Corbin Reycling Center Director Roger Shelton said the new recycling bins would give the city nine such trailers, which have separate areas for newspaper, cardboard, plastic, aluminum cans, tin cans and white paper.

Shelton said he would like to add an additional trailer somewhere on the south side of town and is looking into other possible locations for the other two.

Trailers are currently staged at Corbin Middle School, Corbin Intermediate School, the Corbin Area Technology Center on the high school campus, Eastern Kentucky University’s Corbin Campus, the recycling center on Main Street and on Master Street between Little Caesar’s and Snappy Tomato Pizza.

Shelton said the new trailers are expected to arrive within the next six to eight weeks.

Shelton added that residents routinely place Styrofoam and plastic bags inside the trailers.

Neither is accepted by the recycling center and employees are forced to throw the items in the trash.

Shelton said Kroger and Walmart each have recycling bins for the plastic bags.

“It would take a lot out of the landfill,” Shelton said of taking the bags to one of those locations.