Carter County formally signed a contract with Lewis Wood Products in Elizabethton, formally purchasing the property to use as the county’s new recycling center.

The announcement comes four months after a fire shut down the original location in August, which left many in the county unable to do the bulk of their recycling locally. They since opened the old center for cardboard products, but plastic is still not accepted.

Solid Waste Director Benny Lyons said the day marked a weight coming off his shoulders, though he said the new facility will still take a few months before it formally opens to the public, as there is still some work needed as they change locations.

The property cost roughly $430,000, and will include two buildings. Lyons said they do not want the public to be able to casually walk into the facility, a detail they will be working on before officially opening in early 2020.