MET Employees Keeping Tulsa Green

The <a href="http://www.metrecycle.com/" target="_blank">Metropolitan Environmental Trust</a> operates 11 recycle centers in the Tulsa area, five in town and now six in the suburban communities. The MET

Wednesday, December 5th 2007, 5:00 pm

By: News On 6

The Metropolitan Environmental Trust operates 11 recycle centers in the Tulsa area, five in town and now six in the suburban communities. The MET employs around 100 employees, most all of them are people who have disabilities. The News On 6â€™s Rick Wells reports this enthusiastic, reliable workforce is helping Oklahoma go green.

Melissa Buckner and Candy Kinnaman work at the Metropolitan Environmental Trust recycling center. On Wednesday they worked to separate plastic bottles and aluminum cans at the new recycling center in Collinsville.

"For 15 years we've hired workers with disabilities at all our centers,â€ said Michael Patton of the Metropolitan Environmental Trust. â€œWe have about 100 workers."

Michael Patton is the executive director of the MET and says it's a terrific opportunity to match people who need a job with work that needs to be done.

"It's a great workforce, very reliable,â€ MET Executive Director Michael Patton said. â€œA lot of the workers have never had any other job in their life."

The workers are at the recycling center for four hours each day, and they make sure recyclables make it into the proper bin.

Each recycling center has a job coach to supervise and answer questions.

â€œIt's very important, gets 'em out, away from home, gives 'em a job they can get out and do," job coach Nina Cochran said.

The new recycling site in Collinsville has been open since Monday, and people are beginning to find it, people like Louise Newell of Nowata. Newell had some magazines in the trash she decided to recycle instead. As for those who work at the recycling center itâ€™s a productive labor that helps the community, and of course a paycheck at the end of the week.

All 11 recycle centers are open 24 hours a day every day. You can find out more about the MET recycling centers on their website, www.metrecycle.com.

Watch the video: Going Green With The MET