Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Recycling Composting topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Knox County hears update on river cleanups, compost pilot and recycling events
Summary
A presenter identified in the transcript as Jack Salmondo summarized recent river cleanups (more than 100 tires collected), volunteer and sponsor support, compost facility operations and a city curbside compost pilot; commissioners heard the update and noted upcoming community events.
At the Oct. 7 Knox County commissioners meeting, a presenter identified in the transcript as Jack Salmondo delivered a wide‑ranging update on recycling work, recent river cleanups and composting efforts, saying volunteers and partner organizations kept this year’s programs running with minimal cost to county taxpayers.
"All said and done, we had over a 100 tires from just the river cleanups," the presenter said, and added that county maintenance picked up closer to 130 tires overall with about 30 of those coming from a spring pickup. He said the river rallies filled six dumpsters and that Republic Services provided free transfer‑station access for both the spring cleanup and the recent river events.
The presentation highlighted several county efforts: outreach to schools and homeschool groups, sponsorships of giveaway T‑shirts made from recycled material, an agricultural tire collection held in August that drew roughly 25% Knox County participation for that regional event, and an ongoing compost operation run with contractor Green Machine. The presenter said volunteer turnout this year was "probably anywhere from 1 to 1 20," and he thanked local staff and volunteers who supported logistics.
On composting, the presenter described a city pilot that would use a private contractor for curbside compost pickup in a small test area and said Mayor Starr plans to hire a contractor and produce a short video about the program. He noted that the county’s compost facility does not currently accept food waste under EPA limits and said Community Roots will offer a complementary food‑grade compost option. "The city is gonna be paying a private contractor, and he is deeply moved by our compost pickup program," he said.
The presenter also outlined upcoming events: a county subsidy program for a transfer‑station event at Bridal Foundation Park (he said the county is contributing $1,500 from a DKMM contamination grant fund), and a separate pumpkin‑smash event scheduled for Nov. 15 with local vendors and volunteers. He suggested the county’s social‑media and video promotions, handled by a staff member he named Andrew, have increased community engagement.
Commissioners did not take formal action on the recycling or composting items at the meeting; the presentation was received as an informational update.
The county staff named in the presentation included a contractor identified only as Justin (working with Green Machine) and staff contacts Jason and Todd. The presenter identified Community Roots and Republic Services as community partners and named Quentin Platt as the city engineer involved with a curbside pilot.
