By Chris Cooper-Managing Editor chriscndl@bellsouth.net

Jailer Bill Jenkins said he was being overrun with cardboard at a special called meeting of the Logan County fiscal court Thursday morning.

Apparently the bottom has dropped out of the cardboard industry and could be down for several months.

Jenkins wanted direction from the court on what they wanted to do about accepting recyclables from Simpson and Todd counties.

Jenkins said he was afraid he was going to be receiving more cardboard than he could move by servicing the two other counties. He said he had been communicating with Pat Suiter, owner of Bluegrass Recycling in Russellville. According to Jenkins, Suiter had to lay off some of his employees and wasn't selling very much.

“Pat seems to think this may last 6 to 8 months,” said Jenkins.

The jailer said he was afraid he would run out of room to store what was coming in.

“I don't want the court to wonder why I have spent money having to get rid of the cardboard at the landfill because I don't have any more room to put it,” said Jenkins.

Magistrate Thomas Bouldin said he didn't want to make rash decisions about recycling at this point. He said it was hard to get people to recycle and to turn away those who do might effect them continuing to recycle in the future.

It was brought up by Magistrate Dickie Carter to purchase a quonset building or a pole barn to store the cardboard bundles. Carter said it was important to keep the cardboard dry because it was worth more dry. He said a building shouldn't cost more than $20,000 and noted the recycling budget could easily handle that.

The court will be looking into the purchase of a building to store the bundles and asked Jenkins to send a letter to both Simpson and Todd Counties letting them know what was happening and that Logan would continue to accept their recyclables for a month then revisit the issue.

It is possible both Todd and Simpson counties could have to pay to keep bringing their recyclables to Logan County said magistrates not wanting to make that decision at this time.