Editorial

Recycling plastic bottles will make the fair a little greener

Now that Oregon has a 5-cent deposit on all plastic bottles, including water bottles, it's time to start recycling those bottles at county fairs, the Pendleton Round-Up, high school sporting events and other gatherings in the region.

Incoming Umatilla County Fair board member Tammy Dennee suggested finding a way to collect empty water bottles at the fair at a recent meeting, and we think that's a terrific idea. Especially if this hot weather keeps up, bottled water sales at the fair are going to be tremendous.

Recycling is usually not top-of-mind for fair-goers. Unless recycling bins are plentiful and easy to identify, empty plastic bottles are likely to end up in the trash along with corn dog wrappers, uneaten cotton candy, curly fries and all the rest.

Arranging for plastic bottle recycling at an event requires organization, but is not too difficult to pull off. Here's what's needed:

• A group to take charge of the recycling program. This could be done by the organizers of the event, by a vendor contracted by the event organizers, or by a group of volunteers. A scout troop, sports team or other non-profit group could take this on as a fundraiser.

• Collection bins for the empty plastic bottles. Ideally these look distinctively different than trash cans, and should be clearly labeled "for empty plastic bottles only." These should be placed next to trash bins, making them easy for people to find.

• Volunteers or contractors to monitor and empty the collection bins as needed throughout each day of the event.

• Volunteers or contractors to separate improperly-dumped trash from the bottles and to make sure all bottles are reasonably clean and empty of liquid, then take the collected plastic bottles to the nearest Wal-Mart to collect the 5-cent per bottle refund.

(Wal-Mart managers at both the Pendleton and Hermiston stores said they are happy to take any quantity of plastic bottles for refunds - but if you have a very large quantity, they appreciate a call in advance so they can be sure to have an employee on hand to help).

• Then, the organizers of the recycling program can sit back, count their money, and take pride in the fact they kept thousands of plastic bottles out of landfills.

Empty plastic bottles are crushed and baled, then sent to a recycling facility where they are broken down into polyester fibers and made into products such as carpet, fiberfill for pillows and sleeping bags, fleece jackets, park benches, kayaks, plastic lumber and even new beverage bottles.

The more we are exposed to recycling opportunities, the more likely we are to start recycling at home. For anyone who has lived in a community that provided recycling bins at every event and with curbside recycling, separating trash from recyclables soon becomes second nature. After a while, it feels downright wrong to throw away any recyclable container.

Now that the 5-cent deposit applies to all soda and water bottles sold in Oregon, it's a great time for organizers to make sure plastic bottles sold at their events end up in recycling bins rather than in the landfill. And it's a great opportunity for non-profit groups to step in and make a little money while helping the environment as well.

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