Greetings.

Local GlassCycle Friends (“LGCF”) is a group of community members interested in developing a glass recycling operation for the Greenbrier Valley. You may already be familiar with our organization, as the City of Lewisburg recently joined us in our effort to obtain a “REAP” grant from the W.V. Department of Environmental Protection to fund a glass recycling plant. Because we were unsuccessful in getting that grant, LGCF has moved forward with plans to fund the project otherwise. To that end, we’ve met on several occasions and have committed to the following:

1) LGCF will raise funds to purchase a basic glass crusher machine and fund a six-month trial period to gauge feasibility and interest in a community glass recycling operation, the operation of which we anticipate starting as early as April 2010;

2) Depending on the type of machine purchased, a budget of $5,000-$15,000 will be raised to fund said trial-period;

3) A likely temporary location for the operation is the Mighty Thrifty yard/loading dock, located at 412 West Edgar Avenue in Ronceverte;

4) Mighty Thrifty will rent LGCF the use of said location for $100.00 monthly, which cost would include: space, water, electricity, insurance, clean-up and machine maintenance; and

5) A contracted laborer will be hired to operate the facility for set hours every week.

Fundraising efforts are already underway, the first planned event being a benefit concert at the Irish Pub on February 21, 2010. We’re very excited about the project and are already looking beyond the initial phase. In hopes of creating a sustainable community glass recycling LCGF would like to partner with a local government or other community organization to expand and maintain the operation beyond the 6-month trial period that LGCF will undertake on its own. To that end, LCGF is reaching out to you, the Lewisburg City Council, in hopes that the City of Lewisburg could become a partner in this effort.

LGCF has come up with the following ideas for how such a partnership might work:

1) LGCF loans glass crusher to City of Lewisburg and City hosts public glass collection at Department of Public Works Yard;

2) LGCF loans glass crusher to City of Lewisburg and City, in concert with Solid Waste Authority, hosts public glass collection at landfill or Recycle Center in Ronceverte;

3) LGCF continues glass collection at Mighty Thrifty, City of Lewisburg arranges financial support for public collection or participation continues by subscription;

4) In the event a portable glass crusher is purchased LGCF, the machine could be leased by the City of Lewisburg for use at a site of its choosing, or the City could be just one of a group of partners in a regional glass recycling operation; and

5) If the program is successful and it makes sense to do so, the City could purchase the machine outright from LGCF and administer a glass recycling program of its own.

These are just ideas and we would welcome your own, as well as your participation in this effort. Thank you.