In 1989, the county landfill had reached capacity and local waste was being transported to Louisville for disposal at a significant cost to the county.  In an effort to reduce cost and volume, a local extension homemaker club worked with the County Solid Waste Department to pilot a curbside recycling pickup in their community.   Their efforts were successful and quickly expanded into the first permanent county recycling facility in Kentucky.  Since then the program has expanded with extension homemaker and the family and consumer sciences providing education to children and adults throughout the county.  Over the past five years the Meade County extension homemakers’ organization has been paid by the county recycling center through an educational grant to teach recycling education in the local schools.  The focus this year was recycling and repurposing to impact the environment.  Trained volunteer leaders spent 255 hours preparing and teaching 1,945 students and 263 adults on the importance of reducing waste. For their efforts the organization received $3,832.  The funds will be used to support continued educational programs and projects of the county council.  

 To further demonstrate the importance of repurposing, the group purchased a bench made from recycled materials.  The bench which has their name epoxied into the front back rest  will be placed on the Buttermilk Falls walking trail.  Students were encouraged to be on the lookout for the bench to see how recycling can transform products to create something useful.    As always, following their presentations, the recycling center realized an increase in volume and frequency of recycling materials.