Recycling becomes popular

The county has collected 228 tons of recycled material this year.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- On a recent trip to the Wal-Mart Super Center, Dorothy Taylor stopped in the parking lot and unloaded some cardboard.
"I've been driving around with this stuff in the car," explained the 77-year-old New Castle woman as she was placing her cardboard in Lawrence County's new drop-off recycling bins.
"I think [the county program] is good. I think recycling is a necessity," said Taylor, who lives in a community where curbside recycling is mandated but doesn't accept cardboard.
County officials say they are pleased that people such as Taylor are taking advantage of their new program that takes cardboard, newspapers, magazines, plastic bottles, metal cans and glass food and drink containers.
A $1.038 million state grant that is ending this week got the program off the ground by paying for most of the recycling bins, truck and educational materials.
Amy Labi Carando, county recycling director, looks relieved as she talks about the program that she has been working on for the last two years.
"It's been a two-year project, but most of the work was done in six months," she said.
The bulk of the work came in finding spots to put the large, blue bins. County commissioners had told Labi Carando to put them in strategic spots around the county so they would be accessible to everyone.
Some communities were reluctant at first but then started agreeing after seeing success at the first few spots where bins were placed, she said.
The first bins went to Pulaski Township in March.
"There is traffic in and out of here every day at the recycling bins," said Lori Sniezek, Pulaski Township secretary. "It has been quite a success."
Before the county drop-off program, Pulaski offered recycling once a month for a two-hour window to residents. Now they are able to use the bins 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Locations
Since then other sites were established in Hickory, Enon Valley, North Beaver, Perry, Scott, Union, Wampum, Wayne and Slippery Rock townships.
By next week, other bins in Ellwood City, Plain Grove, Neshannock and Shenango townships should be in place, Labi Carando said. They also plan to put bins at the county government center in New Castle.
Labi Carando said they had collected 228 tons of recyclable material at the end of September.
She notes that the majority of the recyclables were collected from three sites that have been in operation since the spring. She expects larger numbers once all of the bins are on the ground.
The amount of recyclable material collected is important because it helps pay for the program.
Labi Carando estimates it will cost $67,000 per year to operate the program once all 72 bins are on the ground. That includes the pickup of the recyclables and maintenance work on the bins done by Tri-County Industries of Grove City.
Initial estimates showed that the recyclables collected would pay for about half of the cost, but Labi Carando said she expects the amount of recyclables collected will pay for more than half because of changes made to the bins.
The county ended up having them made locally rather than importing them from Canada. The locally made bins have lower maintenance and collection costs, she said.
Labi Carando urges everyone to continue to use the bins. It not only keeps the program operational, but it helps the environment, she said.
"When you recycle every day, it can have a huge impact on pollution in the air and water. It can expand the time landfills last. It can save people money," Labi Carando said.
cioffi@vindy.com