Mary McPherson calls herself a “concerned local citizen” when it comes to trash. Trash or anything that must be disposed of is a concern to McPherson.
She is part of the Extension Homemakers Club, but says that is not why she is passionate about the environment.
She said it comes from being partly from raised in the country.
“Growing up like I did, in the country, you didn’t have trash pick up. Out in the country you would save,” McPherson said. She referred to a family member that was an influence in her life.
“Any little pretty box. She found a use for it,” she said.
McPherson said places for recycling in the area to take note of include the Rainbow of Challenges, Inc., The Sheltered Workshop, L&W Iron and Metal, Nevada County (Prescott) Recycle and Work Center, the Howard County Children’s Center and Recycle Center, The City of Hope Shop, and Tri-State Iron and Metal Co., in Texarkana.
“I am interested in preventing so much stuff from going into the landfills,” McPherson said.
L&W Iron and Metal is the only place listed that pays for some of the materials they recycle, according to McPherson. L&W takes aluminum, iron, tin, copper, iron, brass, led, batteries, air conditioners, electric motors, and old cars, according to owner Kris Woodruff.
“It is all broken down and sent off to be recycled,” Woodruff said. They can be reached at 777-5700.
McPherson is concerned about the need for plastic bottle and glass disposal.
“We have no glass recycling and glass in landfills does not break down,” she said.
McPherson has her own way of preventing glass from filling landfills. She decorates different shaped bottles with tissue paper and paint. She has used them as a vase for delivering flowers to someone who is sick or in a nursing home.
McPherson calls attention to the fact that the Rainbow of Challenges, Inc., in Hope has a pick up service for paper at offices, colleges, homes and other places. Rainbow of Challenges can be reached at 777-9849.
The Sheltered Workshop has a service that picks up plastic bags, newspapers, junk mail, magazines, and catalogs, card board, feed bags, telephone books, etc. They can be reached at 777-4671.
The Rainbow of Challenges and Sheltered Workshop work together at times, according to Brenda Brantley.
“We shred paper and anything recyclable paper-wise, we do. The workshop does baling for us because we do not have a loading dock,” Brantley said.
As a type of employment for people with mental and physical disabilities, the workers produce bales from the collected material and it is then transported to places in Arkansas to be recycled.
