The county’s new solid waste director is aiming at a grant that may hopefully end up making the county a bit more in revenue, and it’s all about white paper.

Angie Muncy recently told the Boyle County Fiscal Court she will be applying for the annual Kentucky Pride Fund Recycling Grant, which is an 80/20 matching grant. That means the state’s Division of Waste Management will pay 80 percent, while the county is required to pay the remainder.

In total, Muncy’s request comes to $329,111.70, to pay for a complete sorting line with bunkers and 12 compartment bins she says is needed to keep up with the expanded drop-off services the center provides. “Recycling has increased tremendously during the past five years, and this will allow us the additional space much needed for storage,” Muncy says. The piece of machinery is priced at $108,000.

The recycling center, she says, is showing some major signs of wear and tear, and some areas need to be upgraded to prepare for future growth. She included the need for a side-eject horizontal bailer, which she says is more of a wish-list than a need, but would be extremely useful in the space they have to work in. It is priced at $149,197.

But the item Muncy is most excited to get her hands on is a portable paper grinder, at $61,500, she says will tap into a recycling market the county hasn’t been heavily involved in.

“We already have document destruction days …” she says, where residents come to them with papers they need shredded. “But this will allow us to go to the school, for example, and recycle their white paper, which is a state law.”

Muncy says think about it — “We have 11 educational institutions here. Think about all the white paper that’s created, in 11 educational places.”

And food for thought, she says: “As of today’s market, white paper yields approximately $290 per ton.” So the center will travel to destinations with the mobile unit, which is in an inclosed trailer on the back of a vehicle.

“There’s a car hooked on that picks it up, dumps it in the grinder, shreds it up and dumps it into the box as you’re going, and processes it as you continue to make pick-ups,” she says. “It will not only save time and be more efficient, but it can become a source of better revenue for the county due to the way recycling is done.”

Muncy says she’s wanted a new stationary shredding unit for the center, “but now I want the mobile unit more because I feel like it will generate more … The one sitting in here needs to be replaced, but we can’t do everything at once. I think this is worth more to the county overall in recycling.”

After the paper is shredded it’s bailed up at the center and goes straight to the mill. “We’ll take it to a broker, making it to where it’s a good product and goes straight to the mill, meaning more money,” Muncy says. She says it’s more for her workers, sure, but hopefully will be worth it for the extra revenue.

“It will bring in more product with less time,” she says. Boyle County has started a white paper and sorted office paper campaign, which she says has not been done here before. “It’s always been just one type, mixed. And we have too many educational institutions for this not to be a priority.”

Muncy says that within three days by just changing the way they sort at the center, “we sorted over 1 ton of white paper.”

Hopefully, shes says, it’s a new market to tap into to help the county’s bottom line.

“If they do it all …” Muncy says, meaning if she gets the full grant amount for all of the items, “that’s wonderful. There’s money out there, probably about $5 million out there for recycling grants, composting, anything like that.”

If she does get everything solid waste is asking for, the matching amount required to be paid for by the county is $98,725 — which can be mostly made up for with in-kind labor, she says.