Recycling appears to have been well received in Picayune with the company that brought curbside recycling to the city extolling the percentage of residents that are participating.

Perhaps the program should be expanded beyond the city limits. Some county officials report that many county residents want a recycling program. Some residents have called the city asking if they can receive city garbage service the same way some do city water service. So far, that question hasn’t been answered.

Initially, the city set up recycling bins to which residents could bring recyclables and residents outside of the city brought recyclables to the bins. Picayune officials, among them Mayor Ed Pinero who is the county’s director of planning and development, have received calls from county residents wanting the bins put back in place for them to use now that the city residents have curbside recycling.

The county has received grants similar to the one Picayune used for the bins and uses them for another important waste disposal program, collecting and properly disposing of hazardous waste. We don’t want to see that program to go away.

The grants to collect and dispose of hazardous waste come through the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.

Perhaps MDEQ could be approached by the county to see if a general recycling program can be started in the county.

Recycling is good in many ways. Among them, it lessens the amount of material going into landfills.

Also, it reduces the amount of raw materials extracted from the ground to make new products, preserving them for emergencies. During World War II, recycling was vital to the war effort.

Recycling needs to become a normal part of everyday life.

We are a frugal people and recycling is another way in which we can practice our frugality.