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Worthwhile incentive to recycle |
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Wednesday, 16 April 2008 |
Jennifer Larson
Community Editor
There’s no better time than April 22 to think about the environment. After all, Tuesday is Earth Day.
In a world of overconsumption, there is one way to lessen the impact, and it’s easy to remember. The three R’s – reduce, reuse, recycle – is something almost any elementary age child can recite.
And while the benefits of recycling to nature are obvious – consider the amount of waste that goes into a landfill on a daily basis – SRC/Forest Lake Sanitation is offering an incentive for converting waste into reusable materials.
According to Recycling Manager Doug Reichert, they’re recycling 90 yards per day at the facility located in Wyoming.
About one year ago, he said the sanitation business implemented a new recycling program in the outskirt communities of Forest Lake. But for a month now, Reichert said the single sort system has been available to residents locally.
“It’s been working out fairly well, he said.
Citizens who wonder “how can one person make a difference” have the option to make a contentious choice to pitch. Recycling is also worthwhile.
Reichert noted that customers receive a $2 credit on their garbage bill for simply recycling, which is not mandated in Forest Lake like some other cities in Minnesota.
He said that people can put all their recycling in a blue cart with a gray lid next to the rubbish container curbside. The convenient part is that none of the items to be recycled including paper, cardboard, plastic, aluminum, tin cans and glass need to be sorted.
“It can all be put in there at random,” Reichert said.
However, one thing that is asked of customers is to wash out plastic, aluminum, tin cans and glass.
When the recycling makes its way to the sanitation facility, he said it is dumped on the floor and put on a conveyor belt with a bob cat. The materials make their way down the conveyor belt to several sorting systems that remove the items, Reichert added. The items, with exception of glass, are than bailed and transported to other locations.
He said there are some things customers should not put in their recycling like clothes, sharps such as insulin needles, motor oil and car batteries. Reichert said to leave those items along side the containers for the hauler to pickup.
Other items that should not be included in the recycling are drinking glasses due to the level of lead content in them as well as plastic bags.
“We have no means to get rid of them,” he said, referring to the plastic bags.
Reichert said there is a huge capital investment to implement the program from the new recycling haul trucks and conveyor belt system to the 65-gallon containers. He noted they have roughly 7.500 containers, costing $65 each, out in the communities.
“You can cut your rubbish in half by recycling,” Reichert said.
The decision to go to a single sort system over the previous program – where people were asked to sort items and place in small blue box containers – was fueled by the competition from other waste management companies in the area.
He said it has also been an opportunity to collaborate with Rise, Inc., in Lindstrom. The organization helps find jobs for people who have significant disabilities or other barriers for employment.
Reichert said they’ve employed two participants from Rise, Inc., at the facility in Wyoming who sort items on the conveyor belt.
Mark your calendars and get rid of junk at two spring cleaning events.
Scandia Heavy Metal Cleanup Day is Saturday, April 26 from 8-11 a.m. Bring items to the old public works garage at 14727 209th St. N., Scandia.
No hazardous materials or electronics will be accepted at Scandia Cleanup Day. Those items should be brought to Forest Lake Rid Litter Day on May 3.
The City of Forest Lake Rid Litter Day will be held from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 3. Bring items to Northland Mall at 1432 S. Lake St., Forest Lake.
Hazardous materials and electronics will be accepted at that time from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For more information or to find out about pricing, contact SRC/Forest Lake Sanitation at (651) 462-1099.
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