Representatives from each municipality and the county government met on June 16, 2015, to discuss solid waste issues that will seriously affect Rutherford County within the next 15 years.

Middle Point Landfill is expected to close no later than 2028 or possibly sooner, depending on population growth in the county. Once the landfill closes, Rutherford County will have to pay to ship its trash to other landfills.

"Middle Point Landfill has been Rutherford County's disposal facility through our growing years, and even though we will continue to grow, Middle Point will close. We need to start finding a solution for our future today," says Mac Nolen, Rutherford County Solid Waste Director.

The June 16 meeting was the first step in forming a strategic plan to address both the short-term and long-term issues. City and county representatives plan to meet at least quarterly to continue the planning effort.

One of the solutions discussed is to promote the importance of recycling in the county, which may help extend the life of the landfill. Because there will eventually be a cost to ship trash to other locales, recycling will reduce the amount of true trash and thereby reduce the related expense for both the county government and individual families.

Operation: Rutherford Recycles

Rutherford County government has launched a campaign known as Operation: Rutherford Recycles to educate the public about the county's solid waste problem and the importance of recycling.

A recent survey conducted at the county convenience centers shows that most people do not recycle because it is inconvenient and they do not know what or how to recycle.

As part of the public awareness campaign, the county is now rebranding the 14 convenience centers into "Recycling Centers." The Recycling Centers will provide improved signage that clearly states the hours of operation and bins will clearly be labeled to help people determine what items can be recycled. These changes will be rolled out during the summer months.

Operation: Rutherford Recycles has other initiatives under way as well, including video messages from prominent Rutherford Countians, including Sen. Bill Ketron, MTSU Coach Rick Stockstill, County Mayor Ernest Burgess and local farmer John L. Batey.

For more information about Operation: Rutherford Recycles, please visit the Rutherford County Solid Waste website HERE. You can also find Operation: Rutherford Recycles on Facebook.