NATCHEZ — On Thursday, members of the mayor’s beautification committee met with one goal in mind — go green.

The entire meeting was devoted to making plans to start a recycling program in Adams County.

Committee member Stephanie Hutchins said Adams County is in dire need of a recycling program.

“Right now we’re filling up the dump with so much stuff that could be recycled,” she said. “It makes no sense.”

Hutchins said she has seen a desire in the community for recycling.

“This is something that people want,” she said.

Curtis Thornton is one of those people.

“I’m not sure why we don’t have recycling in the county,” he said. “But I wish we did, we need it.”

Thornton, the owner of Quality Glass, said if there were a recycling service in the county he would use it.

In the course of his work Thornton said he fills one dumpster per week with broken glass that could easily be recycled.

“That all goes to the dump,” he said. “There is no need to waste it.”

Thornton also said he would like to be able to recycle at home.

There has not been a recycling program in Natchez in four years.

And strangely enough the last company in Natchez to have a recycling program might be the solution for the current need.

Magnolia Industries, the last company to recycle in Adams County, was employing mentally handicap individuals to process the county’s recyclables.

Magnolia Industries was a subsidiary of the now defunct Life Skills.

However, when Life Skills went out of business, and the recycling stopped, some at the meeting suggested using their leftover recycling bins to continue the county’s recycling.

As of Thursday evening no one was sure of who actually owned the bins.

Hutchins said one committee member would be in charge of locating the bins and their owner.

Hutchins said she believes there are 10-12 large bins that could be used as drop-off points around the county.

If the bins are available the committee would then only need to find someone to handle the recyclables.

However if the committee can use the bins that won’t simply be the end of their problems.

Matilda Stephens, who worked with Magnolia Industries, said while the bins were beneficial many people used them as a general dump.

“The stuff we would find in there was disgusting,” she said.

Stephens said for the bins to work effectively they must be properly maintained.

Hutchins is optimistic a successful recycling program can be started with or without the bins.

“We are going to see what other counties are doing, and we are going to make this work,” she said.