GENTRY — Recycling has suffered another setback in the Gentry and Decatur area with the closing of the Gentry collection facility along Dawn Hill Road on the south side of the city.

Though Western Recycle will continue to recycle wood products for mulch at its Siloam Springs location at 20303 Bill Young Road, the company will no longer be picking up or accepting paper, cardboard and plastic materials.

In a letter dated Jan. 13 and addressed to recycling customers, Western Recycle stated, “Due to the current economic conditions, lower than expected material prices and the reduced amount of recyclable material collected, we regret that we will no longer be able to provide a pick-up recycle service at your location. The final collection of recycle containers will begin Monday, Jan. 18, and be concluded by Jan. 22. We apologize for this inconvenience and would like to encourage your business to keep recycling with your local city or county program.”

Though surrounded by containers of recyclable material, the Gentry recycling center was closed last week and will not be reopened.

“Western Recycle, in association with our parent company, SSD Western, will continue to collect waste wood, pallets and construction waste. A pick-up service will be available for those materials for a fee based upon location, or they can be dropped off between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday” atthe Bill Young Road location, the Jan. 13 letter stated.

The company will continue to make and sell DeVoe Farms wood-chip mulch in a variety of colors for use in landscaping around homes, businesses or on farms.

Dennis Pierson, who managed the Gentry recycling facility, first as a part of Academy Industries and then as Western Recycle, was saddened the center will no longer be accepting or recycling paper, cardboard and plastics. He will continue working for the company in its wood-chip mulch division, he said on Friday.

Pierson blamed the closing on the poor economicconditions and the lack of recyclable materials coming in to the center. He suggested that state and local governments are going to have to do more to encourage recycling. Grant money available to city and county governments for recycling is not available to private companies like Western Recycle, he said, and the cost to set up and run recycling programs is great.

Recycling is still available to Gentry residents by taking materials to the recycling trailer behind city hall. Newspapers, aluminum cans and plastics are accepted, but materials must be sorted and placed in the appropriate bins on the trailer.

Since Western Recycle took cardboard and the city currently does not, the city intends to look into ways to make the recycling of cardboard available to Gentry residents too, Gentry Mayor Wes Hogue said on Friday.

The closing of the Gentry recycling facility has not really changed anything with the city’s recycling program, Hogue said. Though the city began taking its recycle trailer to the Gentry facility after Western Recycle reopened the location, it will now again take Gentry recyclable materials to the Siloam Springs Recycling and Transfer Station at 1008 E. Ashley. Benton County residents can also take recyclable materials and certain hazardous household waste items there. For hours and items accepted at the Siloam Springs facility, call 524-8512.

News, Pages 3 on 01/27/2010