Sheltered Workshop Will Add Workers to Waste Watchers

Waste Watchers Recycling is planning to add paid workers and a building to their property off Valley Road in Lake Ozark.

Jim Butcher, coordinator for Laclede Industries sheltered workshop in Lebanon was at last night’s Lake Ozark board meeting. Butcher says Laclede Industries is joining forces with Waste Watchers in an effort to make the recycling operation more aesthetically pleasing and efficient. That starts with a new building.

“A 40 x 50 lean to. It’ll actually be open at one side and that’s where the balers will sit so that when people come through they can actually throw their stuff right in the baler. I will have one to two operators of the balers there to actually run the balers and tie the bales and take them out,” says Butcher.

Laclede Industries in Lebanon employs 52 developmentally disabled and handicapped individuals. Butcher says his group will look at adding a day to the current Wednesday and Saturday schedule at Waste Watchers.

“Once we have the ability to we will start by adding a day and we will send our people up. Waste Watchers will still be manning two days and we will have people up here to help them.”

As far as how many employees it will take to run the balers, Butcher says time will tell.

“I don’t know because of the system we’re putting in we will probably hire at least one or two initially. And then as we need some more staff we’ll just do it. We do other things besides recycling. We do small assembly work for an industry in Lebanon. That’s how I’m able to employ so many people.”

Butcher still has to take the plans through planning and zoning and through the Board of Aldermen before any additional plans can be made. He hopes to have his employees in place by this winter or next spring.