MONTICELLO – Sullivan County native Kassie Thelman has been named the county’s recycling coordinator.
The Monticello resident left a nearly seven-year inspection and operations job is thrilled to be back working in her home County.
“It felt right,” says Thelman, who left a nearly seven-year inspection and operations job in Orange County, said she is “excited to share the latest information about solid waste and recycling with our community. I feel like I can really make a difference here.”
A graduate of Sullivan West Central School District, Thelman earned an associate’s in Environmental Science at SUNY Sullivan followed by a bachelor’s in Environmental Planning at Binghamton University.
“The environment we live in is so very important,” she said. “There is always a need to understand what we do with what we’re throwing away. It’s a pressing issue.”
“What can we do differently?” she said. “If, for example, we can cut back on how many trips trucks make to the upstate Seneca Meadows landfill, it will be more money for the County and less emissions for the environment.”
“Kassie brings a deep enthusiasm for and commitment to best practices in the fields of solid waste and recycling,” said Public Works Commissioner Edward McAndrew. “I welcome her to our hardworking team, and I’m looking forward to the innovations she’ll introduce.”
“How we handle our recyclable and non-recyclable waste is one of the legislature’s top priorities, and Kassie will definitely be involved in the discussions we’re having with Public Works,” says District 5 Legislator George Conklin, chair of the legislature’s Public Works Committee. “She adds to the experienced crew we have in that division, one we’re increasingly relying on to help us make fiscally smart and environmentally responsible decisions.”
