Recycling and Hospital

To borrow a line from Ted, I’m fixing to…. Really, I started to write I’m fixing to go dump my recyclables, and I couldn’t help but think of Ted.

But really, I’m fixing to go dump my recyclables now that I can. It seems the city recycling bin filled up quickly after Christmas, and it didn’t get dumped quickly enough. So, some individuals decided to leave their recyclables beside the machine. People…don’t!

The city provides the service to its residents because we asked for it. (Oops, I’m not a city resident.) But, the city residents asked for it, because many of us hate filling landfills with recyclable materials. We carefully sort through our stuff at home and office so that the landfill is not filled with paper, plastic, and other recyclables. But, when people abuse the service, we risk losing it.

The disposal company nor the city has the personnel to go pick up the refuse left behind by people. I understand, you loaded it up and took it to be recycled, and it was full. Oh, well. The back of my truck has just gotten fuller and fuller waiting for me to be able to dump it.

And, the back seat of my truck is full of recyclable electronics. I’ll carry them around until I can appropriately dispose of them. Yes, it’s a little bit of a bother, but it’s worth it to me to protect the environment. If I didn’t have the luxury of leaving the stuff in my truck or the back of my truck, I wouldn’t load it up until I was sure I could dump it.

I just hate that we have a good chance of losing a service because a few people abuse use. So, please, be responsible.

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Speaking of losing services, most of us agree that Jasper Memorial Hospital is a real asset to our community. So much so, that the county dedicates a tax to the hospital every year. So much so that the city of Monticello included the hospital as a recipient of some of its Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).

So, imagine the surprise of many of its would-be users to learn it does not accept Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance—the insurance most state employees have and a considerable number of others, including people taking advantage of the Affordable Care Act, have.

What a disservice to the people of Jasper County. But, maybe in the new year that will change, and Oconee Regional and Jasper Memorial will come to an agreement with BC/BS and offer services to all citizens of the county again.