Members of the Choctaw Nation recycling team stand in front of a large pile of recyclable materials in the Durant recycling facility. From left to right, they are Jonathan Callaway, Jason Thomas, Tracy Horst, Beth Mitchell, Jeff Winnington, Garrett Langston, and Jason Lilley.
Choctaw Nation recycling continues to keep environment green
By Brandon Frye
Choctaw Nation
In the summer of 2009, CNO started their recycling program. Though there was no recycling plant nearby at the time, Choctaws and locals collected materials and the tribe moved them to the nearest recycling facility in Ada.
CNO’s recycling capabilities have been growing ever since. In the winter of 2010, the Durant Choctaw Nation Recycling Center opened its doors, and later a similar center would open in Poteau.
These openings marked the Nation taking a more hands-on approach to recycling. Instead of collecting material and relying on other facilities, the tribe could separate and process the material, then get it in the hands of manufacturers to reuse it all.
Choctaws and Oklahomans living in Southeast Oklahoma could give their recyclable materials over to the tribe and know they were doing their part to lessen landfill refuse.
For six years, CNO recycling centers have kept paper, metal, and plastic in circulation and out of garbage piles. Water bottles, milk jugs, cardboard boxes, magazines, phone books, newspapers, styrofoam cups, tin cans, soda cans, and more were accepted.
Recently, plastic bags (like from grocery stores) and trash bags were added to the list of accepted materials, giving environmentally-minded citizens one more way to do their part in keeping things green.
Today, the Nation collects materials from all 10 ½ counties of the Choctaw Nation, and there are hopes to open new recycling centers in the near future.