The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
By: Bonnie Johnson - The Quill Staff
REC Recycling
REC Recycling was brought about by a concern in Henderson County in the Spring of 1995. The State of Illinois stated that the county needed a recycling operation within the county.
Tom Edmonds, RR Lomax, Jay Ryan, Stronghurst and Rev Carlson, pastor of the Lutheran Church, Stronghurst, had been recycling for some time to raise money for the group from the area who helped with Habitat for Humanity each summer.
Henderson County Board and REC Recycling made an agreement that they would be the recycling operation for the county.
In 2001 the county board passed an agreement that the recycling operation had to offer a door-to-door service.
Tom said, "I would not be able to cover this service as the cost would be prohibitive."
Vehicles that are used to haul waste and/or recyclable must be licensed by the county; therefore, Tom has his vehicles licensed and is the only full-serviced locally owned residential and commercial recycling service operating in Henderson County.
His processing business is located in Stronghurst and a good percentage of the earnings come back into the county in tax dollars and purchasing parts, etc. needed to run the business.
There are sights in Oquawka, Gladstone, Media, Raritan, Terre Haute, Lomax, Dallas City and Biggsville, that house 40 foot shipping containers converted to recycling containers.
Each container has 3 bins for newspapers, 1 bin for magazines, 1 bin for tin cans, 1 bin for aluminum cans, 2 bins for plastics and 1 bin for cardboard within this shipping container. In each village, there is a designated person who watches these bins and when full, notifies Tom to come and pick them up.
There is a portable container that travels between Carman, Gulfport and Niota, used for recyclables. These items are brought back and separated in Stronghurst. Anyone within Stronghurst can bring items to this sight for recycling.
He has contracts outside the county with Caseys', Dollar General, many grocery stores, restaurants and convenience stores for their recyclables also.
Tom is a 1964 Stronghurst High School graduate and he went on to the University of Illinois to attend air frame and power plant mechanic course.
He worked for TWA for six years in Los Angeles and Chicago. His parents, Frank and Clidean Edmonds, Lomax, were in failing health, so Tom returned home to farm and take care of his parents.
Tom has a concern that we as a nation are not doing enough to recycle. As the war continues and the price of oil raises, the need to recycle items become more important.
He feels we need to work together as a community and as a nation and become more aware of the advantages of recycling.
Paper that is put in a land fill and covered will stay at a temperature of 50 degrees and this temperature does not allow the paper to decompose.
In 60 years, one can drill down and find the paper readable. Pop bottles are sold to Asia for computer parts as well as cardboard and news print to be made into boxes.
Tom is concerned about the well being of the county, nation and world and one of his joys is helping people. He feels recycling is one way of doing that. Tom is also active in "Old Thymers Show" and his church family.