INTERVIEWING SULLIVAN COUNTY’S NEW RECYCLING COORDINATOR

Written and submitted by Katie Gasior, Horticulture Program Coordinator

Last month, I had the opportunity to speak with Sullivan County’s new recycling coordinator, Kassie Thelman. I asked Ms. Thelman about her role and she told me, “As Recycling Coordinator in Sullivan County (she is) responsible for working with our Public Works team to make sure they can provide the best options for our residents to dispose of their waste. From MSW and C&D to our e-waste, scrap metal, textiles, plastics, etc, it is important that we, as a county, are able to provide the most sustainable and cost-efficient options for our residents.”

I asked Ms. Thelman what changes she would like to see implemented under her watch and she stressed the importance of public education of recycling. Ms. Thelman said, “When contaminates (plastic shopping bags, food waste, etc.) get into recycling processing centers, they have the capability of diverting an entire load of recyclable materials to landfills instead of recycling facilities. By keeping our residents informed, we are able to keep contaminates out of our recyclables and recyclables out of landfills.” We also got a chance to talk about an exciting pilot composting program that should be kicked off by the end of 2023. Besides creating a space where folks can drop off their food scraps for composting, “the County is working on permitting to be able to accept organics at our facilities. Materials have been ordered to provide up to 400 households in the county with at home composting kits. We plan to work with the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency to dispose of the organics collected at our Sullivan County transfer stations. After running our pilot program with the Ulster

County Recourse Recovery Agency, we ultimately hope to be able to collect organics and dispose of them within the county.”

Cassie wants to change the negative stigma around recycling and encourage residents that the system works. She hopes to see progress in minimizing waste, specifically food waste and recyclables, sent to landfills. Keep an eye out for the upcoming pilot composting program here in Sullivan County, and other local recycling opportunities.