At the July 14 Commissioners Court meeting, PCRB asked the county to take over the recycling center. Every commissioner said they want to keep recycling alive. Nobody had a plan yet. Commissioner Jerry Cassity was tasked with leading a committee to review options and bring them back for budget discussions in the weeks ahead.
So what would a plan that actually lasts look like? The programs that survive elsewhere point to a clear playbook.
- Budget it as a public service, not a business. Roads, parks, and libraries do not turn a profit either. If the county wants recycling, it has to fund it like the public good it is, and stop expecting bale sales to cover the bills.
- Pay one coordinator. This is already on the table. Kari Miller told the court that keeping the center open would take at least one full-time employee. Every program that survived did it with paid staff, not volunteers alone. PCRB is closing precisely because its volunteers are moving away.
- Give it an institutional home. The centers that last live inside an organization that was going to exist anyway. In Polk County, the natural partners are the school district, the county library, or Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, which already runs community programs countywide. A nearby college makerspace could even help build or maintain the machines.
- Chase grant money. The building and core equipment were already bought with DETCOG grant funds, so the county is not starting from zero. Other doors worth knocking on include state recycling grants, Keep Texas Beautiful, arts and education foundations, and local utility foundations.
- Make it about education. This is the secret ingredient everywhere it works. Precious Plastic offers a free K-12 recycling curriculum. Turn collected plastic into something schools want, like 3D-printer filament, and recycling becomes a teaching tool, not just a cost.
- Carry insurance. One uninsured lawsuit nearly bankrupted the global Precious Plastic organization. Any county-run or nonprofit operation needs real liability coverage from day one.
None of this makes recycling free. But it turns an impossible ask, run a break-even recycling business, into a realistic one: run a modest, grant-supported community program with one paid coordinator and a school or civic partner.
The decision now sits with the commissioners, and it will be worked out during budget season. No date has been set yet for when recycling returns to the agenda, so residents who want a say should watch the county’s posted agendas and speak up. Public comment is welcome at any Commissioners Court meeting. The next one is Tuesday, July 28, at 10:00 AM at 410 E Church Street, Suite A, in Livingston.
If a clean, litter-free Polk County matters to you, this is the moment to say so.