Clark County Recycling District has focus on efforts year round, not only on Earth Day

In celebration of Earth Day and throughout the month of April, the Clark County Recycling District (CCRD) is highlighting its ongoing efforts to protect natural resources, reduce landfill waste, and build a cleaner, more sustainable future for Clark County residents.

CCRD, a municipal office dedicated to managing recycling and waste reduction programs, has a clear mission:

--Reduce solid waste disposal and extend the life

of the Clark County Landfill.

--Support clean land, air, and waterways

throughout the county.

In 2024 alone, CCRD diverted over 4.8 million pounds of waste from the Clark-Floyd County Landfill through its curbside and drop-off recycling programs. Collected residential recyclables are processed by Smurfit Westrock, CCRD’s recycling partner, and distributed to certified manufacturers to create new, sustainable products.

Local Access to Recycling:

CCRD serves residents through curbside recycling programs in Clarksville, Jeffersonville, and Sellersburg, and offers five convenient drop-off sites in Charlestown, Borden, Starlight, Henryville, and New Washington. The Charlestown location, CCRD’s only staffed site, accepts a wide range of hard-to-recycle items, including:

**Antifreeze, motor oil, and oil-based products

**Electronics and scrap metal

**Tires and aerosols

**Paint and lead-acid batteries

**Pesticides, herbicides, and light bulbs

The CCRD Charlestown site, 112 Industrial Way, is open Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and Wednesday, 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Investing in the Future:

In 2025, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management awarded CCRD two grants (coming soon):

--$10,000 for waste tire recycling (residents only,

contract in process)

--$59,549 to distribute 1,000 new 96-gallon

recycling carts to participating households in

the curbside program (curbside residents only,

contract in process)

CCRD is also proud to support local education. As of April 2025, the District has awarded $43,000 in sustainability scholarships to graduating seniors in Clark County. These funds are generated from scrap metal and aluminum can recycling at 112 Industrial Way and include a $1,000 co-sponsorship from Smurfit Westrock.

Community Outreach:

CCRD offers free recycling and sustainability presentations for schools, neighborhood groups, and organizations. These educational efforts help foster a culture of environmental responsibility across generations.

The CCRD Board of Directors includes representatives from the Clark County Commissioners, Clark County Council, Clarksville Town Council, and Jeffersonville City Council.

This Earth Day, CCRD invites all residents to recommit to everyday actions that make a big difference for the planet. Whether it’s rolling your recycling cart to the curb, visiting a drop-off site, or attending a local presentation, everyone plays a part in keeping Clark County clean and green. Together, we can protect our land, air, and waterways—one recycled item at a time.

"As a resident of Clark County, I’m incredibly proud of the strides our community is making toward a more sustainable future. Every can, bottle, and box we recycle helps protect our environment and extends the life of our landfill. The programs we support, especially our outreach in schools and neighborhoods, are planting seeds of stewardship for generations to come. On behalf of the CCRD Board, we thank our residents for their continued commitment to recycling and environmental responsibility—not just on Earth Day, but every day.” — Connie Sellers, CCRD Board President & Clark County Commissioner

Clark County Recycling District oversees the county recycling programs. Clark County Ordinance #1993-OR-34 established the recycling program in June 1993. It is a law that all residents of Clark County (Sellersburg, Jeffersonville, and Clarksville) must pay the curbside recycling fee if the resident participates or does not participate in the program. Each household in the curbside area incurs a yearly fee of $34.00, which is now included in the property tax statement. Residents in the unincorporated areas of Clark County pay a $17 annual fee for 24 hr. drop off recycling in Henryville (102 S. Furgeson St.); New Washington (412 S. Poplar St.); Starlight (St. Johns/Rake Rd.) and Borden (14304 Hwy. 60).