NATCHEZ — While Monday’s meeting between the Adams County Board of Supervisors and representatives from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality did not go quite as planned — plans to start a recycling program are still in the works.

On Monday, Denise Wilson, an environmental scientist with the DEQ, attended the supervisors meeting to discuss the development of a recycling program in Adams County.

Wilson’s reluctance to address the supervisors while in session ultimately resulted in a second meeting later that day.

The second meeting was attended by the recycling committee, comprised of supervisors Darryl Grennell and Mike Lazarus, the mayor and several other city officials.

At that meeting Wilson, the recycling committee and city officials met to discuss grant acquisitions that would be used as start up funds for a recycling program.

Lazarus said while no official action was taken, a few things at the meeting were established as necessary to make the program a success.

And everyone who attended the meeting on Monday came away with something like a mantra of what needed to happen for the recycling program to work.

“We can do it,” Lazarus said. “But this is something we have to work together on.”

Lazarus, and almost every other person at Monday’s meeting, said for the program to work the county and the city must work together, the program must start small and grow over time, the public must be educated on the benefits of the program and grants are available that can fund the project.

Lazarus said the most important aspect is the cooperative effort between the county and the city.

“That decides the project,” he said. “We have to work together.”

Supervisor Darryl Grennell said if the city and county file joint grant applications for the project the community could be eligible for as much as $50,000 in grant money to be used as start-up money.

And Mayor Jake Middleton said the city is ready to help out with the project.

“This is really going to take an effort on everybody’s part,” Middleton said.

Natchez’s grants coordinator Brett Brinegar said she and has already started examining the grant applications, which are due Oct. 1.

To further support the effort Lazarus said the two-man committee is in the process of being expanded to take on new members from the city and even some residents.

“We want a lot of people to be involved in this,” Lazarus said.

For her part Wilson said she was very impressed by the turnout at both of Monday’s meetings.

“There was an amazing level of participation,” she said.

Wilson said most of the discussion on Monday was about getting grants to fund the project and what type of startup project would be most likely to lead to a long-term project.

Wilson said an ideal beginning project would likely incorporate only one or two recyclables then expand to more materials.

If all goes according to plan the program could be started with grant funding, at no cost to the county, result in the sale of the recyclable materials and cut the county’s cost at the dump.

“This is a doable project,” Lazarus said.

At 5:30 p.m. on Monday the recycling committee will meet at the supervisor’s building to further discuss the project.

Lazarus said anyone with an interest in recycling should attend the meeting.