Columbiana County residents increase amount they recycle

By D.a. Wilkinson

Some recyclers can get their garbage down to one bag a week to save on garbage removal fees.

SALEM — Want to help the environment and save money?

Recycle.

Columbiana County residents increased their recycling by almost 37 percent in 2008, said Chris Jacobs, director of the Carroll-Columbiana-Harrison Joint Solid Waste Management District.

The district last year collected a total 1,809 tons of material from county residents compared with 1,321 tons in 2007.

That increase of 488 tons doesn’t tell the whole collection story, however.

The district also provides information to the public on companies that take specific wastes, such as scrap metal, used oil and car batteries.

Jacobs said the increase in recycling didn’t just happen.

There was a big promotional campaign last year, and containers at recycling centers are easier to use. Those factors help contribute to the district’s taking in more recyclable materials, he said.

Jacobs recently told Salem City Council he’s going to make the recycling center by the fire department more user-friendly by alternating containers for paper and for plastic items.

That will prevent recyclers from having to go to one area of the site to unload paper and then go to another part of the center to drop off plastic.

Some people may have been confused by the different materials that can and cannot be recycled, or they didn’t feel like pawing through their trash to look for recyclables.

But Jacobs said, “Starting is very easy. You need one 15-gallon plastic tub that will cost $4 or $5 for paper, and a second tub for everything else.”

The second tub can contain plastic bottles easily determined by the recycling sign on the bottle.

What about metal cans, or anything else that isn’t paper?

“Everything else goes in the other tub,” Jacobs said.

People are also trying to recycle in other ways.

Shoppers have taken to bringing reusable tote bags to carry their groceries as a way to cut down on the number of plastic bags they use.

People also find that by recycling, they can reduce their garbage bill.

Jacobs said some people get their weekly garbage down to one large plastic bag.

Some waste haulers will charge $2 or $3 for the collection along with another similar amount for the fee haulers must pay at a solid waste landfill.

That’s a far cry from the $30 or more some people pay for home service.

XInformation on all the local recycling centers in the county and links to other recycling sites, such as for scrap metal, are available at www.recyclingmakessense.org

wilkinson@vindy.com