Cloudy with occasional rain...mainly this evening. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%..

Cloudy with occasional rain...mainly this evening. Low 63F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.

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HURRICANE — Anyone who is familiar with Hurricane resident Rob Vanater knows he is a person who is passionate about serving and giving back to his community.

For years, Vanater served up food and beverages at Drip’s Café on Main in Hurricane, and he was always one of the first to help out at various community events.

Although Drip’s was forced to close following the COVID-19 pandemic, Vanater wasn’t done giving back; he still desired to serve the community in some capacity.

“I sought out a job that would allow me to still give back to this amazing community as much as possible,” he says. “Although in a completely new way, my current position has been an amazing way to take on new challenges.”

Vanater’s new position is program assistant for Putnam County Solid Waste Authority.

Vanater explains, “Putnam County Solid Waste Authority’s mission is to protect public health and welfare by providing a comprehensive program of solid waste collection, processing, recycling and disposal. The Authority exists to establish programs based on source reduction, recycling, reuse, material recovery and landfilling.”

Funding for the Putnam County Solid Waste Authority, according to Vanater, comes from both state and national grants and from area landfills.

“We get 50 cents per ton from each landfill in the county for our base operations,” he says.

Vanater works alongside Executive Director Charity Fellure and a part-time Litter Control Officer, whose position is grant-funded. A board of five members oversees the department.

Vanater’s new passion as part of this team is to encourage his fellow residents to recycle.

“We strive to provide many resources for Putnam County residents to dispose of their everyday (non-landfill) waste easily and properly as often as we can make that happen,” he notes. “Our main goal of the upcoming Shredding Days is to bring recycling to the forefront.”

For the past several years, PCSWA has offered free shredding events in Putnam County. On Sept. 16 and 17, two such events will be held in Eleanor and Poca.

“On Sept. 16, we will be in the parking lot of the Eleanor Pool from 5-8 p.m. and on Sept. 17, we will be in the parking lot of the Poca Library from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.,” Vanater says.

Helen Hall, a resident of Hurricane, always looks forward to shredding days in Putnam County.

“I have been taking advantage of free shred days for probably five to six years,” she says. “I’m lazy about doing my own shredding and then it mounts up and I just wait for a free shred day.”

The two shredding days in September are open to Hall and all other Putnam County residents, and they are being offered in partnership with KnightHorst Shredding.

“KnightHorst was founded in 2004 to provide an alternative to the other shredding company options,” Vanater explains. “Those options were to either let a document storage company haul your sensitive documents to their warehouse to be shredded or to be just another account number at a national shredding company with no regard to customer service.”

Hall appreciates the fact that her sensitive documents are shredded on site at these events.

“It shreds the possibility of dumpster divers getting important information like credit card numbers and confidential information,” Hall says.

The retired English teacher adds, “It’s easier to take all of my outdated manuals and papers to be shredded at one time rather than using my small shredder and making a mess of all the shredded pieces on the floor as I transfer them to a trash can.”

Vanater hopes that many others, like Hall, will take advantage of the convenience of the shredding service.

“All papers will be shredded on site in the mobile truck until either the mobile truck is full or the event concludes,” Vanater says. “We want Putnam County residents to know that this service is 100% confidential and that if they miss the September event, we plan on offering two more large-scale shredding opportunities in the spring.”

Residents may bring as many as five boxes of paper to be shredded. While staples and paper clips can remain on the documents, large binder clips must be removed before shredding.

Vanater is excited to serve the community in his new role at Putnam County Solid Waste Authority, because it means he is still giving back to the place he calls home.

“Hopefully, I will aid in creating a new era of recycling efforts in Putnam County,” he said.

If you have any questions about Putnam County Shredding Days, email info@pcswa.org or call 681-235-3276. If you have questions about the PCSWA’s tire recycling program (in which residents can drop off — for free — up to 10 tires at WV Cashin’ Recyclables the first Friday of the month), contact the PCSWA at the email address or phone number above.

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