When renowned Berrien County environmentalist Jackie Taglia first conceived of a public recycling center near the St. Joseph Public Works Department it was her fervent hope that the center would someday become irrelevant because household recycling would become such a normal part of everyday life that a drop off point would be at the very least redundant and at best, totally unnecessary. While we haven’t quite achieved the ubiquitous status she would dream of, the future of the Recycling Center named in her honor may be nearing its useful life end, if new life isn’t breathed into it.
The Jackie Taglia Recycling Center is located on Broad Street in front of the St. Joseph City Public Works Department. As shown in the photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market.com, the center, which opened in the late 1980’s, was later named in her honor. It was established through a partnership between the non-profit group United for Survival and the City of St. Joseph.
While the Boy Scouts got involved early on and coordinated the operations at the Recycling Center, they say the final day that Scout Troop 624 will coordinate the program is coming on March 3, 2018.
A public meeting will be held on Thursday, January 18, at 6:00pm at the nearby Rose Center to discuss the future of the Recycling Center. Any questions about the program prior to the meeting can be emailed to stjosephrecyclingcenter@gmail.com. The Rose Center is located at 220 Church Street, St. Joseph.
United for Survival is a local non-profit organization that has focused on making the environment better since it began in the 1970’s. Since the 1980’s when the recycling center was established, many local groups and individuals have joined United for Survival members to volunteer at the center including Boy Scouts Troop 624, Scout Leaders, the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph Rotary Club, Temple B’nai Shalom of Benton Harbor, and others.
As one of the founding Board members of United for Survival, Jackie Taglia was one of the people instrumental in developing the Recycling Center in the first place. Mrs. Taglia also served as United for Survival Treasurer and Volunteer Coordinator, organized the recycling vendors, delivered recyclables to recycling outlets, maintained the building, promoted the program, gave recycling presentations to community groups, educated Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops at the Recycle Center to help them earn badges, and much more. Mrs. Taglia passed away in 2012, and the center was re-named the Jackie Taglia Recycling Center in November 2012 to celebrate her dedication to the community and the environment.
Ted Thiesen is a Scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts. He tells us many Boy Scouts have volunteered to work at the recycling center over the years as service to their community. He notes, “The recycling center helped Scouts become more aware of the importance of conserving our natural resources for ourselves and future generations.” Moving forward, the Scouts will continue community conservation projects at local and state parks.
Tim Schroeder, is a past Chairman of United for Survival and an active volunteer at the Recycling Center. He says, “It was always Jackie’s hope that the center wouldn’t be needed because recycling would become the norm everywhere. It’s not there yet, but I think it will be at some point”.
Groups and individuals who may have interest in taking on the management of the recycling service are encouraged to email questions and attend the Public Meeting January 18, 2018.
The Jackie Taglia Recycling Center at 1160 Broad Street in St. Joseph is currently open the 1st Saturday of each month from 9:30am to 12 Noon, and the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 5:00pm to 6:00pm. The Recycling Center accepts newspapers in paper bags (no magazines or office paper), aluminum in any configuration, motor oil, oil filters, glass containers without tops or rings or metal foil (no Pyrex or plate glass), and dry cell batteries.
