Beginning Tuesday, Lowndes County began checking everyone’s identification at the recycling centers to ensure that those who are bringing their trash to the sites are residents of the unincorporated areas only. Residents of the cities of Remerton, Hahira, Valdosta, Dasher and Lake Park may no longer utilize these facilities.

The county is still trying to decide what to do about its trash situation and all of its efforts thus far have only caused more confusion and issues with the public than necessary.

According to the county, less than 2,000 residents in the entire unincorporated area don’t already have curbside pickup. It seems like a no-brainer to institute a county-wide collection system. However, the issue for many, particularly in the smaller municipalities, is what to do with recyclables and yard waste. Here again, Lowndes County leadership needs to step up, work with these cities, and come up with a plan to pay for the recycling centers so that everyone who wants to utilize them can do so.

Everyone should be encouraged to recycle, everyone should have an easy avenue to do so, and everyone who pays taxes needs to know how they are being spent in order to satisfy those who don’t understand the economics of keeping the centers open.

Making those who use the centers pay for them seems fair, but penalizing everyone else by keeping them out, especially those who have no other place to go, seems punitive.

The county commissioners have stated they will have a plan in place by Sept. 1. However, they should have had a plan in place before they even brought this issue up.