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8/13/97-Over 250 people bring recyclables to the drop off center each week.
We receive a number of comments about the wide variety of materials we can
take and how easy it is. The average car is in and out of the center within
10 minutes.
The Keene Recycling Center is participating in the Summer Youth Employment
Program which provides work opportunities for 14-15 year olds. Among the
many tasks they will be performing is to serve as Recycling Drop off attendants.
Through August 8th you will find a young man or woman ready to help you
unload recyclables, answer questions, and just be generally helpful.
We received a call recently from a company in California that had a problem.
Seems a shipment of bottled water had tested positive for some bacteria
that, while not harmful to human health, created a product that was unsalable
due to aesthetic concerns. They wanted to know about disposal options as
the water was warehoused in Chesterfield. We calculated the disposal cost
in the landfill at approximately $1,000, or the cost of recycling at about
$400. Shortly after our initial conversation, a tractor trailer arrived
to deliver 14,400 bottles of water. Our Summer Youth crew started in on
it and have been making great progress. An assembly line has been set up
and the caps are removed, the bottles impaled on a nail head to pierce the
foil safety seal and the water drains out. The plastic bottles are recycled
as are the cardboard boxes. It makes me feel better that these resources
will won't end up in the landfill. Still, far too many resources do.
I happened to be stuck behind a trash truck the other day and couldn't help
but notice all the paper, aluminum cans, glass bottles, steel cans and cardboard
that someone couldn't take the trouble to recycle. Look at what's buried
in the landfill on a daily basis. The overwhelming majority of material
are things we can easily recycle if only they were not all mixed together.
What a shame.
Prices for recyclables have been increasing the last few weeks. Recyclables
are commodities just like pork bellies and wheat. Prices will go up and
they will go down. The range of factors influencing prices is astounding.
You would be surprised how decisions in Russia or China affect prices in
Keene. The continued success of recycling will in large part be due to people
like you buying products made with recycled materials. Quality and price
of products made with recycled products are competitive.
Note: Charlie says- "Start recycling paper products such as
magazines, catalogs, junk mail, stationary, computer paper, etc. today.
Call you local hauler or bring the material to the Recycling Drop off Center."
Duncan Watson is the solid waste coordinator
for the Keene Public Works Department.