The Bibb County Commission voted on May 13 to accept bids for 15 recycling containers, a trailer and truck in partnership with Chilton County for a recycling program.

County Extension Coordinator Gay West has agreed to spearhead the project as the head of the Chilton County side of the program.

West said she was asked to oversee the program by the Chilton County Commission, which could officially vote on appointing West to the position at the June 10 commission meeting.

Commissioners tabled a discussion during the May 13 meeting about finding someone to be in charge of the countywide recycling program.

Commission Chairman Allen Caton said county litter agent Libby Ratliff told commissioners after they appointed her to be in charge of the program during the April 22 commission meeting she was not interested in running the program so Caton said someone needed to be appointed.

West said Friday she is happy to oversee the program after working with the Bibb County recycling liaison and extension coordinator Matt Hartzell.

Both West and Hartzell will work to implement the program in both counties within the next couple of months.

“Right now the next step is to determine locations for the five dumpsters we will get in the county and purchase educational supplies and promotional type materials to educate everyone on how to use the dumpsters,” West said.

West said the trailer and containers are estimated to arrive in Bibb County in 45 days or roughly the middle of July.

“I think once Bibb County gets the containers we will get them shortly after,” West said.

The Bibb County Commission originally applied for a grant from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) for the project that would partner with the Alabama Department of Corrections (DOC).

Under the agreement, the county would allow the DOC to place recycling bins throughout the county. Bibb County would collect the material for both counties and transport it to DOC in Montgomery where it would be sorted and processed.

The DOC would reap any financial benefits from the material so the prison system could utilize the material for the use of the facility.

Since Bibb County needed more population numbers, they decided to partner with Chilton County to receive the grant.

The program will not cost anything for Chilton County and the benefit to partnering with Bibb County is waste at the transfer station in the county will be reduced.