On Monday, I was privileged to attend an Adams County Board of Supervisors Meeting. I went because the topic of recycling was on the agenda. Unfortunately, this meeting and the consultation with the Department of Environmental Quality representatives has received unwarranted negative press.

I am new to Natchez, and this was my first opportunity to observe Natchez and Adams County in action. I was most impressed. The supervisors were uniformly receptive to and encouraging of public input and public involvement in decisions regarding recycling and reducing waste in our community. I was also impressed by the number of individuals and agencies that fit the unexpected meeting into their schedules. I can’t give you the names of all of them, but Mayor Middleton, Chamber of Commerce representatives, Natchez aldermen, Waste Management personnel and Keep Natchez and Mississippi Beautiful were well represented. Individuals interested in starting private recycling businesses were also in attendance. The willingness of the many agencies and businesses in Natchez and Adams County to cooperate was most welcome.

There were several misconceptions about the meetings that need to be addressed. There was no attempt by the Department of Environmental Quality or the supervisors to “hide” anything from the public. Members of the press were excluded from the meeting due to the ethical constraints faced by public agencies like DEQ that must balance provision of information to governmental agencies with the process of awarding competitive grants. The “goods” and “bads” of recycling were openly discussed.

The most significant misconception is the impression that Supervisor Mike Lazarus or any member of the Board of Supervisors had an agenda or had decided that Natchez and Adams County need recycling no matter what the public may think.

What did happen was this. Due to the obvious interest in recycling, the representatives of state and county government indicated they would discuss the issue of recycling with the larger bodies. It was the general consensus that Natchez and Adams County are not ready for curb side recycling.

If, and I emphasize the word “if,” Natchez and or Adams County decide to pursue the grant monies, it was the consensus that the project would start off small with an eye toward projects that are supported by the community and totally voluntary. Natchez and Adams County are in what DEQ describes as Phase I. Since there are grant monies available in the next two months, it seemed logical that this option be expeditiously pursued. A committee of county, local government and citizens has been started to research options.

I hope that individuals in Natchez will keep an open mind regarding recycling. As DEQ said, no community is like any other. We need the best information we can get, and we need to look at this information carefully. The worst thing that could happen is moving too quickly and starting a program that wastes precious tax dollars or is not supported by the people at large.

I do not know what is “best” for Natchez, but I am pleased that our local governments have the foresight to tackle this complex issue. We have nothing to lose by considering recycling and much to gain.

Linda J. Gummow, Ph.D.

Natchez resident