The City of Branson would like to thank the Branson-Hollister Lions Club for donating much-needed equipment to the Branson Recycle Center, in a project that has now come full circle. On behalf of the City, Mayor Edd Akers accepted three large carts this week that will be used to manage recyclables at the Branson Recycle Center.
Six years ago, the Lions Club contacted the Branson Recycle Center to help reduce the amount of waste they were generating. After working with the Recycle Center Manager, the Lions Club is now able to recycle 87% of their solid waste, cutting their weekly waste down from 15 bags to 2 bags a week. The impact of its efforts was seen in the very first year, cutting waste management expenses by $2,765. Six years later, the club has diverted about 15 tons of trash from the landfill, reduced club expenses by $30,000 and kept resources in the economic loop instead of the landfill.
“Former Lions Club Presidents, Pete, and Carolyn Waldo are recycle champions,” said Branson Mayor, Edd Akers. “At 84-years-old, they are still creating positive change and have forged an entirely new recycling paradigm for their organization. What a great example to the entire Branson community,” said Mayor Akers.
The Lions Club saw so many benefits by its recycling efforts, it wanted to “pay it forward” by making this donation to the Branson Recycle Center. They are also able to use the money saved from trash and disposal bills to contribute to local scholarships and vision screenings, hearing aids and eyeglasses for those in need.
The Branson Recycle Center is available to work with any organization that would like to start recycling. As a reminder, there are two recycle locations in Branson that are open 24/7, where anyone can drop off recycling. For more information, on how to start recycling, call the Branson Recycle Center at 417-337-8566 or go to, http://bransonmo.gov/347/Recycling.