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ELKINS -- Randolph County Solid Waste Authority Chairman Clark Martin announced Thursday that the Tygart Valley Recycling Center has closed for good.
"As some of you may know, the Recycling Center is closed, period," Martin said during the Randolph County Commission's regular meeting at the James F. Cain Courthouse Annex.
"It's not going to be opening back up under the name of Sterling Daniels. I've been receiving phone calls and emails, not just within Elkins, but outside of the county about this."
Martin said money is the main reason for the facility closing its doors.
"The reason Sterling is closing shop is finances, point blank, finances," he said. "He's gotten to the point where he's had to dip into his own wallet to pay for some of the items to be moved out of Randolph County."
The center, which was formerly the Randolph County Recycling Center and operated by Joe Gum, was taken over by Daniels in 2022. The facility has been shut down since an employee accident left the center shorthanded back in July.
"There are people who live outside the city limits who actually plan once or twice a month to come in and take care of all of their items," said Martin. "A lot of people are not going to have anywhere to take their stuff and it will eventually become a problem. You are going to see an increase in people throwing away recycled materials.
"Those who are loyal are going to hold onto it until they find somewhere to recycle it. Those who are semi-loyal are going to put it in their garage or somewhere until it gets to the point where it has to go somewhere. Then the flat-out lazy ones are going to start throwing it over the hill."
Martin told the commission it is getting harder and harder each day for the smaller recycling centers to stay afloat. Not only because there are fewer places buying the materials, but the ones who do are not offering enough money for the center's to survive.
"They are having a hard time getting the money they need to keep the businesses running," he said. "They can't get the money they want for someone to take the plastics, take the cardboard, take the aluminum cans, take the magazines."
Martin told the commission that he came to them so that they could keep their eyes and ears open for any potential help.
"Sometimes you guys run into some people from other countries, and if the subject of recycling comes up, maybe they know something we don't and you could bring it back to us," said Martin.
Martin also said he has been working hard to find a solution to the problem himself.
"Right now I have someone I'm in talks with concerning the possibility of bringing a recycling center in here," said Martin. "I have also spoken with some neighboring counties about who they use, and the possibility of them traveling to Randolph County. I'm trying to find a way, because I'm getting calls from people wondering what they can do with their materials."
Martin said he has also contacted the West Virginia Solid Waste Authority for help.
"I'm trying to find somebody who will move into the area," he said. "I'm trying to cover the bases because that is what my job is, to make sure there is recycling in the area."
Commission President David Kesling said the county commissioners have also been receiving calls about the center.
"We've been contacted by people in the community as well," said Kesling. "What they don't understand is that Sterling was running a business there. And if he can't find buyers for his plastic or for his cardboard, and the cost of doing the business is going up, he has to do something. It is not county owned, it's a private business."
Martin said some think the center is run by the County Commission or even the Solid Waste Authority because of its former name.
"People often think that we have something to do with it, the Solid Waste Authority, but we don't," he said. "The fact that the name it had when Joe Gum owned it was Randolph Recycling Center, was something that was confusing to many folks out there."
Martin said until a solution is found, people can take some of their metal recyclables, such as aluminum cans, to Elkins Iron and Metal. He noted there is a bottle recycling bin behind the city garage.