Attendees discuss goals at meeting

Contact:  Fred Kirchhoff 502-564-6716

FRANKFORT Ky. (Feb. 13, 2008) – Some key players in the recycling industry – collectors, processors, brokers and manufacturers who use recycled materials – met last week and began laying the groundwork for a new statewide networking organization – the Kentucky Recycling Interest Group (KRIG). 

The event at General Butler State Resort Park in Carrollton was sponsored by the Division of Waste Management in the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection and the Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center (KPPC) at the University of Louisville. More than 50 people attended.

Attendees spent the day brainstorming ideas regarding the focus and goals of KRIG. Fred Kirchhoff, supervisor of the division’s Recycling Assistance Section, said he was pleased with the interest and enthusiasm of the group. A steering committee will take their ideas and produce a draft for presentation to a wider audience at a meeting later this year. 

Recycling is of “global importance” and participants in the planning meeting have a “vested interest morally, ethically and financially” in this issue, said Stephen Shaver, corporate environmental manager for North American Stainless in Carroll County. Sponsorship of the meeting was a “tremendous service” to the commonwealth.

Formation of a state organization is the first step in an effort that is “sorely needed” to increase recycling and waste reduction in Kentucky, said Donna Fechter, director of solid waste in Boyle County. Fechter said she appreciates the division and KPPC for “setting the tone.” 

For more information about KRIG, contact Kirchhoff or Dara Carlisle at the Division of Waste Management, 502-564-6716. Their e-mail addresses are Fred.Kirchhoff@ky.gov and Dara.Carlisle@ky.gov