The Carthage Recycling program was discussed at the Public Service Committee meeting Tuesday evening.

City Administrator Tom Short has raised concerns about the cost of the recycling program. After rebate from the paper products recycled, fifteen hundred dollars was spent last year to run the program. According to City Engineer Joe Butler the city pays one hundred dollars every time the recycling bins are emptied. The City gets reimbursed for it’s paper products but not the aluminum, tin and plastic. The Committee discussed the option of eliminating the plastic, aluminum and tin and only collecting paper. Butler explained to the committee that he was concerned if aluminum, tin and plastic were eliminated from the program that people would not bother recycling and the amount of trash going to the landfill would increase. Butler recommended continuing the contract with Midwest Fiber for this year and work on a plan for next year to eliminate the cost.

The committee voted 3-1 to recommend to the council to continue using Midwest Fiber as there vendor.

What we really need ta be considerin’ is renamin’ the Carthage Landfill. The main reason is that it really doesn’t have a name anymore. Typically it is referred to as the "old landfill." They stopped fillin’ quite a few years ago and now have dumpsters that are transported to another location that is actually a landfill.

Of course there are a number of names that could be considered. The most likely, but least appealing is The Dump.

‘Course the facility now accepts recyclable materials so a more appealin’ name would be somethin’ like the Carthage reclamation center. The fact that just junk can be disposed of doesn’t get proper billin’ with that name I suppose.

I don’t know that there is a perfect name, but I’m open to suggestions.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Metcalf Auto

Dear Tom and Ray:

I just put new headlights in and was wondering how to adjust them. My car manual tells you where the adjusting screws are, but it does not tell you how far to turn them. I know that I could go to a mechanic to have them adjusted, but is the chart that mechanics use top-secret, or do they have a deal going with Detroit to not release the chart? I would hate to pay $15 every time I need them adjusted. My car, by the way, is a 1988 Toyota Celica GT with the cute pop-up headlights. Thanks — Andy

RAY: Well, here’s what my brother does. He adjusts both headlights up and to the left as far as they can go. Then, every day he moves them a quarter turn down and to the right. And when people in oncoming vehicles stop giving him the finger and cursing at him as they pass, he figures he’s getting pretty close.

TOM: Actually, if all you did was change the bulbs, you shouldn’t have to readjust the headlights at all. The adjustment screws are totally separate from the installation hardware, and you don’t have to touch them when you put a bulb in. So unless you already turned the wrong screws, Andy, the headlights should still be fine.

RAY: Oh, you DID turn the wrong screws? You knucklehead. Well, in that case, your headlights will need to be adjusted. And unfortunately, there’s really no way to adjust them accurately without the chart and the perfectly flat floor that many service stations have.

TOM: Having them checked once a year and adjusted, if necessary, is a good idea. They can go out of adjustment over time, due to road vibrations or just the aging of the car’s suspension system.