February 24, 2008
Recycling opportunities could soon be increased
By CHRISTIAN ALEXANDERSEN
HUNTINGTON -- While the state doesn't force residents to recycle, local businesses and organizations in Huntington as well as state agencies and legislators are giving residents an opportunity to keep West Virginia wild and wonderful.
Bills have been introduced in both the House and the Senate this session that aim to establish a returnable beverage container deposit program. If passed, the bills would mandate West Virginia residents to put down a 10 cent deposit on beverages that come in metal, plastic or glass containers. Consumers would get back the 10 cent deposit when they returned the containers to a redemption center that will be determined by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The Recycling Market Development and Planning Section of the DEP provides technical assistance to the state's local Solid Waste Authorities, businesses, government entities and others through grants and individual consulting. In fiscal year 2008, $280,000 in grant funding was distributed to 25 of the state's 50 Solid Waste Authorities.
Projects that received funding include recycling equipment, recycling collection vehicles, salaries for recycling coordinators, recycling facility construction/enhancement and environmental education projects. While the DEP provides funding to aid in countywide efforts, local businesses and organizations offer recycling services for little or no costs at all.
Carter Seaton, marketing director for Goodwill Industries of KYOWVA Area, said it accepts paper and electronic items at their facility at 525 19th St. West in Huntington. Local businesses and individuals can have their paper products -- including cardboard, junk mail, newspapers and packing materials -- shredded and recycled for free.
For a small fee, Goodwill will also pick up materials from businesses and shred the materials.
Cell phones, fax machines, computers and printers are also accepted at the facility. Seaton said all confidential information is taken off the donated devices before the materials are sold to local dealers who recycle them. The shredding and information stripping facility is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
"Our eCycle program is a responsible way to keep harmful chemicals and metals out of West Virginia landfills," she said. "There's not a culture here that thinks responsibly about getting rid of the things they use, but we're trying to change that bit by bit."
In 2007, Seaton said, the facility recycled 441.5 tons of paper, 77.98 tons of cardboard and 96.61 tons of newspapers. Since February 2007, the facility has recycled 28.71 tons of electronics.
In 2008, Seaton said the Huntington facility has already collected 5.81 tons of electronics, including 127 pounds of laptop computers, 6,000 pounds of computer monitors, 2,500 pounds of printers and 515 pounds of keyboards.
Ralph Taylor, chairman for the Cabell County Solid Waste Authority, said the Authority has partnered with Goodwill Industries of KYOWVA Area to place paper recycling bins in four Cabell County schools. Goodwill Industries, he said, matched the Authority's $10,000 donation to begin the program. Taylor said they hope to meet their goal of reducing the amount of garbage going into West Virginia landfills by 50 percent by 2020.
In 1992, West Virginia mandated that each municipality with a population of 10,000 or more establish and commence implementation of a source separation and curbside collection program for recyclable materials. Implementation was scheduled to begin no later than July 1, 1995.
Since Huntington has allowed Allied Waste Services to pick up recyclables for an additional fee, they are not obligated to offer free curbside pick up, Taylor said.
"It's a crummy way to run a city, if you ask me," he said. "Because people already pay a fee for garbage, not many people want to pay an additional fee to get their recyclables picked up."
According to Huntington Public Works Director Chuck Cornett, there hasn't been a big push by the public, city or state to start a recycling program. In the 1990s, Cornett said, federal money funded a recycle program in Huntington. The program was later abandoned when federal funds dried up, he said.
In a year, Cornett said the city hauls more than 22,000 tons of garbage to a Kentucky landfill.
Since Huntington garbage trucks cannot segregate recyclable materials from garbage, Cornett said the city would have to take 105 weekly trips to dispose the materials separately.
Currently, the city takes 35 weekly trips to the dump. Separate trips to recycling facilities for glass and plastics would be needed.
If Huntington residents are interested in recycling metal, paper, plastics or electronics, Cornett recommended they go to local recycling agencies and businesses.
Customer services supervisor Ramona Smith said Allied Waste Services picks up paper, No. 1 and No. 2 plastics and metal containers biweekly for Huntington residents for a $3 monthly fee. Approximately 320 Huntington residents pay for recycling, she said.
Residents in rural Cabell County can receive the same services for $3.25. People who sign up for the recycling service are provided with a container for the recyclable materials, Smith said.
Local residents can also recycle free of charge at their Lesage facility on Kyle Industrial Park Lane, Smith said. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, residents can dispose of their recyclables in bins located on the property.
Mike Vansteenberg, owner of Empire Metal Recycling in Ceredo, said the three facilities in Ceredo, Huntington and Ironton recycle all types of metals, including aluminum, scrap iron and copper. Though many people go to the facilities to sell their metal, Vansteenberg said many local residents stop by just to recycle their items.
"I always encourage people to recycle because it's good for the environment. When they recycle, they are making sure one less can is left on the side of the road or in a landfill," Vansteenberg said.
The Empire Metal Recycling facilities are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. The Ceredo facility is located at 5095 U.S. 60 West, the Huntington facility is located at 111 22nd St., and the Ironton facility is located at 2502 South 3rd St.
Vansteenberg said he will pay people for their metal and bundled paper.
Rt. 2 Metal and Paper Recycling said it also pays people for their metals and bundled paper products. The facility, located at 4602 Ohio River Road in Huntington, also accepts, but does not purchase, different types of plastics, said facility manager Ken Maxwell. The plastics are sorted and shipped to recycling mills that break down the materials.
"We have people and businesses come in every week and recycle their used products here," Maxwell said. "Since the state or the city doesn't really encourage residents to recycle, people take it upon themselves to recycle."
The facility is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
The Marshall University Recycling Committee has also been involved with local recycling efforts for the past 15 years. Committee chair William Carter said there are several recycling bin locations on campus that accept paper or cardboard. Students and faculty are urged to recycle paper or mixed paper in five locations: Old Main, Smith Hall, the Science Building, the Memorial Student Center, Corbly Hall and the Drinko Library. The locations to recycle paper are Holderby Hall, the Memorial Student Center and the receiving facility.
When the committee was first created, Carter said, Allied Waste Industries also picked up aluminum cans and plastic bottles but later ended that service without an explanation. Carter said that recycling efforts at the university have steadily declined.
"Occasionally, we get a group of students who want to recycle, but when they graduate no one continues it," Carter said. "It's hard to really push recycling when our city doesn't push it."
While less and less paper is being recycled on campus each year, Carter said many of the administrative buildings have continued to recycle their office waste. Each semester, certain dormitory floors tend to recycle more than the others, he said.
To promote recycling on campus, the Recycling Committee sends out reminders to the students and identifies the different locations for paper and cardboard recycling.
Carter said he hopes the recycling efforts at the university and in the city increase.
"We've found it difficult to promote recycling because of the lack of recycling facilities and services available in the area," Carter said. "It would be great to find someone or someplace that can help better our recycling program here."
