By Rupert Howell

The City of Batesville will include recycling drop-offs as an option in upcoming advertisements for bids for garbage collection services following Tuesday’s meeting at City Hall.

The board briefly discussed curbside recycling before deciding to add the option of recycle drop-offs as a more reasonable approach.

Panola County’s solid waste department currently handles all municipalities’ garbage as well as rural curbside service. The county’s service uses inmate labor from trusties housed at the Panola County Jail for pickup and at the county’s transfer station located near Courtland.

Alderman Eddie Nabors told fellow board members that he had received several inquiries concerning recycling while noting that several Mississippi municipalities had begun the practice.

Most curbside recycling requires three additional containers to separate plastic, paper and glass, with Nabors recommending a less difficult approach.

Attorney Colmon Mitchell recommended including recycling as an option stating that the bid process on the service did not require the city to accept the lowest bid, but what they considered the best bid.
With the recycling option, the city may either accept or reject the option without having to drop the entire bid.