Mahoning County recycling totals soar in 2014

YOUNGSTOWN

The Mahoning County recycling division saw substantial increases in residential and commercial recycling and in industrial recycling in 2014, compared to 2013, Lou Vega, county recycling director, announced.

Vega reported his preliminary findings at Tuesday’s meeting of the county’s solid waste policy committee after he reported them to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Materials recycled in the combined residential and commercial category increased from 78,876 tons in 2013 to 83,871 tons in 2014, for the highest total since 2010 in that category.

“It’s showing that our education efforts throughout the years are making an impact, and people are doing this (recycling), not only because it’s good for the environment, but because it makes economic sense,” Vega said.

Within the residential and commercial category, tonnages of recycled appliances, used motor oil, electronics, lead acid batteries, plastics, wood and ferrous metals saw increases.

Corrugated cardboard recycling rose from 9,365 to 13,767 tons and wood from 1,478 to 5,481 tons.

“Instead of throwing your cardboard away, and paying for that (disposal), why not bale it and sell it?,” Vega said of the economic incentive for commercial entities to recycle.

There were declines in scrap tire, dry cell battery, food, glass, non-ferrous metal, textile and yard waste recycling.

Household hazardous waste recycling remained constant at nine tons each year.

Total industrial recycling rose from 121,924 tons to 143,194 tons.

In the industrial category, ferrous metals rose from 111,238 to 130,805 tons recycled.

Non-ferrous metals rose from 5,684 to 6,523 tons recycled in the industrial category.

Other industrial recycling rose from 5,002 to 5,866 tons.

Ferrous metals are those that contain or are derived from iron.