Recycling Center now a dump

"It's a landfill," said Du Quoin commissioner Kathy West after public works director Doug Bishop Monday night shared alarming photographs of ground around the city's bottle and paper recycling center south of Du Quoin. Much of the debris is around a trash dumpster in the fenced area, not the large green bins. "That dumpster is for city use only."

The photographs show two pickup trucks full of televisions dumped onto he ground near the recycling bins, a pile of discarded paint cans and trash all around.

"People are spoiling it," said West as Bishop told the council he is rolling videotape from a camera at the center to try and determine who is responsible.

The maximum fine for illegal dumping is $500 and that's what the growing problem warrants.

The recycling center is located alongside the Du Quoin Fire Department Station No. 2 (years ago it was the offices of Illinois Power Co.)

The center is used only to recycle bottles, newspapers and cardboard. In fact, Illinois law says electronics have to be taken to an electronics recycling center like the one in Carbondale.

Some paint cans and chemicals can actually be chemical waste.

The mess is being cleaned up, but council members are growing angrier by the minute and want the abuse stopped now!

In other action, the city will extend its relationship with a company called Select Energy Partners who was able to bundle local electric service into a cheaper rate. That work continues and the council believes that in extending its contract with Select Energy through March 2015 there will be even more savings as the company bundles towns across Southern Illinois together.

In other action, the council:

Approved a National Long-Term Care Residents' Rights Month Proclamation.

Discussed and approved Zoning Ordinance 2013-R09-03 amending section 157 of the Ordinances of the City of Du Quoin changing the zoning designation of a portion of Section 29 to shore up building permit requirements.

The council approved condemnation of property at 218 N. Maple St.

The council approve Clayton D. McDonnough and Roger L. McCollum as part time police officers to help staff the department after the retirement of Chief of Police Mike Ward and fill shifts of an officer on a disability leave.