A new recycling center is about to open in Texarkana, Arkansas.

The City of Texarkana, Arkansas, will open its new recycling center on Monday, August 11.

This is a day we’ve been working toward for months,” said Brandy Chewning, the City’s recycling coordinator. “This is a major step in making recycling more accessible for our residents.”

The City was awarded state grant funding to construct the new recycling facility at the City Shop, 2601 Dudley St. The recycling center will provide a drop site for recyclable material Monday through Friday, 8:00 to 5:00.

Chewning encourages residents to visit the City’s webpage or recycling Facebook page to learn more about what items will be accepted at the center.

“This is not going to operate like Green Texarkana, the monthly recycling event we’ve held for years,” she said. “At the recycling center items will have to be separated when they are brought in, and we won’t be accepting every material. We are starting with what we think we can manage and, hopefully, we can grow in the future.”

Items accepted will be paper, cardboard, ink and toner cartridges, plastic grocery bags, metal cans and plastics. All items must be separated, including steel and aluminum cans. Plastics accepted will include Nos. 1 and 2—plastic bottles and jugs with necks smaller than the body.

“Plastic is without a doubt one of the most confusing recyclable items,” Chewning said. “We are starting small on the plastics but hoping to catch the most common ones like shampoo and detergent bottles, milk jugs and soda bottles.”

Plastic should be divided by color—clear plastic such as soda and water bottles, and colored plastic such as milk jugs and detergent bottles.

The City will continue to host Green Texarkana on the second Saturday of each month, and other household plastics such as yogurt cartons, storage containers and butter tubs will be accepted there.

Chewning cautioned that as the recycling market changes what will be accepted at the center may change. “I apologize for that already, because the goal is not to add confusion or create burden on recyclers but to provide the cleanest material we can to the industries that will recycle this material,” Chewning said. “As buyers change what they want, we will have to change what we give them. It’s going to be a learning process, but it’s a challenge we are excited to take on.”

Staff will be on-site as much as possible to assist recyclers with learning the process and dropping off their material. Questions are also welcomed by calling the recycling center at 870-779-4946 or emailing brandy.chewning@txkusa.org.

Residents wanting to recycle should enter the City Shop gate on Dudley Street and immediately turn left. The recycling center will be visible and blue carts will be placed along the building front, labeled for each material. A circle drive is in place to help residents exit.

“Safety is a primary concern and we want to encourage all our visitors to be alert,” Chewning said. “They will be coming into a yard with employees walking around and vehicles and heavy equipment being moved. We just ask that everyone drive slowly and use caution.”

For more information please visit www.arkansas.txkusa.org/departments/recycling or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TexarkanaArkansasRecycling.

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