Clay County Suspends Recycling

Covid-19 exposure concerns forced Clay County to suspend recycling at the recycling substations located throughout the county. However, recycling can still be dropped off at the Clay County Convenience Center. Clay County Director of Solid Waste Phillip Jennings said.

The closure of the substations was an effort to reduce exposure to Covid-19. Jennings said at the Convenience Center, equipment is used to handle the recycling as opposed to human hands.

“They just don’t realize what sanitation deals with. And you know, cause if somebody’s scared of anything and thinks it’s contaminated, where’s it gonna go? In the garbage, and it’s coming to us. And that’s what I gotta keep on my mind, you know. I’m more scared for my employees than I am for myself,” Jennings said.

Clay County is a small county, but according to Jennings, they do more recycling than larger metros. Jennings said he looks forward to the day that things will return to normal when it comes to the solid waste disposal and recycling, because the community and county have that great desire to recycle responsibly.

The main goal at this time, however, is to not endanger the employees or the public, Jennings said.

Once the governor’s stay-at-home policy is lifted, Jennings said the recycling substations throughout the county would re-open.