UCDD Gets New Solid Waste Planner To Assist Counties

Lilly Hall hired as UCDD’s new solid waste planner.

Hall said she works with cities and counties to help manage questions, and write grants for local solid waste programs. Hall said one of the things she personally wants to focus on is helping counties improve their recycling programs.

“Glass can be melted back down and put back into things like bottles, windows, certain things,” Hall said. “And then other resources like paper, we can reuse it. There’s just so much that we can reuse and we don’t have to make more of it so I want to help improve all of that.”

Hall said one of her first major projects has been helping all fourteen counties in the Upper Cumberland with their annual progress reports for the Department of Environment and Conservation. Hall said she has already learned many local solid waste departments do not have enough time, to get everything done on their own.

“We’re a resource,” Hall said. “We are here to help and we know what TDEC is asking of us and we’re able to help those counties deal with everything they’ve got going on.”

Hall said part of the reason she wants to prioritize recycling is because TDEC has set a goal for how much waste should get diverted for recycling purposes in the region. Hall said she wants her work to be helpful for anybody, whether that means getting new equipment, completing reports, or answering questions.

“There’s a lot of stuff to work with, a lot of things you could miss,” Hall said. “So it’s better to have several eyes than just one person ’cause it can get very overwhelming.”

Hall said a friend working at UCDD suggested she apply for the position because she wanted to stay in Cookeville after graduating from Tennessee Tech with a degree in geology.