Nearly 60,000 customers per year come through the gates of the Franklin Avenue Recycling Center at 731 N. Franklin. Many customers fondly remember the friendly face who assisted with their recyclables since the center opened in 1992.
After 26 years at the facility, Recycling Attendant Randy Reed was recently promoted to a new position in the Clean Water Services division of the Environmental Services department. While the new job is less physically taxing, Reed says there are days when he misses his old job.
“I do miss helping my regular customers. I had been doing it for so long that a lot of them felt like friends. They would always talk and keep up with me and they would know I would always listen,” Reed said. “It’s a change of pace,” he said of the promotion. “I had been doing 10 hours a day, five days a week at Franklin for over 20 years. At my new job, I work eight hours a day.”
Reed says he inherited his work ethic from his mother.
“This job requires a lot – being on your feet, moving around, checking this and that and bouncing all around the lot. Randy was always dependable and did a great job for a long time,” said Recycling Collection Center Coordinator Mike Inman. “The citizens all loved him … whenever Randy was gone and someone else was covering for him, customers would always express concern. Everyone looked out for him and they were always grateful for his help,” he added.
In his free time, Reed helps care for his elderly parents and enjoys camping, fishing and boating. His love of the outdoors makes him appreciate the work of the Environmental Services department.
“Recycling keeps trash out of the landfill. It’s important in today’s world if we want to leave this planet better for our future and the generations to come,” he said.
Franklin Avenue customers can look forward to getting to know Reed’s replacement at the recycling center, Lewis Hendrix. Hendrix has been with the City for six months and transferred to the Franklin center from the Lone Pine Recycling Center.