A county project, years in the making, opened for business on Wednesday morning.
The long-awaited Little Milligan Convenience Center of the Carter County Landfill opened at 10 a.m. Wednesday and received its first customers within minutes, arriving by the busload.
Students and staff from Little Milligan Elementary School came to the Convenience Center to be the first to take advantage of the recycling program at the new location.
Carter County Landfill Manager Benny Lyons watched with a smile on his face as the students took turns tossing old newspapers and plastic bottles into the large recycling bin.
“This has been a long time coming,” Lyons said. “I’m tickled to death. This will be really good for this community.”
To start out, the Convenience Center will be open two days a week to gauge the community’s need.
“If we get overwhelmed with two days, we can go to three,” Lyons said.
The Little Milligan Convenience Center replaces the old Elk Mills Convenience Center, which ceased operations on Sept. 1. The old location was not convenient and Lyons said he hopes the new site will draw in more business.
The official grand opening and ribbon cutting was attended not only by the students, but also by several members of the Carter County Commission.
“I think this is a nice place here and I think it will do good,” said Commissioner Larry “Doc” Miller, who represents the 6th District including Little Milligan. “It may take a little while for folks to get used to it being here but I think it will be great for the community.
One of the best parts about the Convenience Center, Miller said, is that it not only provides residents with a more convenient way to dispose of their trash but it also provides a recycling opportunity in the community.
“We’ve never had that up here before,” Miller said, adding he hopes having the Convenience Center open will help reduce the amount of trash and illegal dump sites along the roadways in the community.
Miller is not the only one who is happy to see the center open.
“I’m so happy for Benny because this has been on his to do list for about five years,” said Commissioner Bobby Gouge-Dietz, who serves as chairwoman of the Landfill Committee. “Every time we had a landfill meeting, he would say something about Little Milligan or Elk Mills.”
The Little Milligan Convenience Center is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Household garbage is accepted at a cost of $1 per bag. The Center also collects the following recyclable items at no charge to residents: cardboard, paper, plastic and aluminum cans.