RE: [GreenYes] Recycling Glass +++

["Anne Morse" <AMorse@co.winona.mn.us>]

Keith,

Chief among the reasons why local government in Minnesota does not use the
door-to-door pickup of household hazardous waste (HHW), is because of it's
exorbitant cost. [I'd be willing to track down comparative cost figures if
you're interested.]

As you point out, convenience is key to successful participation.  However,
the landfill location you describe might be more the problem than the issue
of drop-off versus curbside.  While landfill locations are often good from
the vantage point of free, available space for governments to site a
collection facility, remote locations absolutely work against participation.
We have located our county facility in the center of the county seat, where
most residents travel frequently already, and as a result receive few if any
complaints about ease of access. 

A final irony: we could never afford to run the program if we received 100%
of the HHW that our residents generate.  While we continue to do as much as
we can to increase participation in our mature program (ten years of
operation), and have never limited promotion to intentionally dampen
participation, I do wonder what we'll do when disposal expenses exceed our
funding.  Happily, Minnesota has in place a fee on ALL pesticides at the
point of sale, which in turn funds the disposal cost of pesticides coming
into our facility.


Anne Morse
Winona County Environmental Services
225 W 2nd St.
Winona, MN  55987
  




-----Original Message-----
From: Keith Edward Ripley [mailto:keith.ripley@eudoramail.com]
Sent: Friday, March 15, 2002 4:20 PM
To: greenyes@grrn.org
Subject: Re: [GreenYes] Recycling Glass +++


 I've always wondered why jurisdictions here in the US do not use something
akin to the SuperDrecksKeescht (SDK) program in Luxembourg, 
where a small fleet of specially equipped trucks and vans makes regular
rounds and requested pick-ups from households of potentially 
hazardous small-scale wastes.  SDK trucks and vans will come pick up
batteries (26.5% of SDK collections in 1997), paint and solvent 
residues (a full third of 1997 SDK collections), flourescent lamps, empty
chemical and cleaning fluid bottles and insecticide cans, etc.  The
trucks/van also leave with the consumer info/tips on proper handling of such
items and their environmental/health impacts.  The Luxembourgers claim it's
quite effective, but they don't discuss its operational costs vs.
alternative methods.  
       But the advantage is clear: consumers participate because it's made
easy for them to do so.  Here in N.Va. if I have cans with motor oil, paint,
varnish and solvent residues, I'm not supposed to put them in with regular
trash. My trash hauler doesn't like to pick them up separately without
charging a hefty fee, and it's 
anything but convenient for me to drive 20 miles to the Lorton landfill to
hand them over -- the closest "drop off" spot to me.  Our neighborhood 
association organizes an annual "special collection" day that used to accept
such items, but no longer does (not clear why) -- the 
collector now only wants broken furniture and somesuch.  Even before the
restriction was imposed on "special collection day", I had to 
safely store these items for months and make a point of being in town and at
home at the appointed day and hours (never an entire 
day), remembering the items and hauling them myself to the pick-up point.
Regards,
Keith


---
Sr. Keith Edward Ripley
Temas Actuales
6333 Beryl Road
Alexandria, VA 22312-6304
EE.UU
telefono: 703-813-6016
telefax: 703-813-6017
e-mail: keith.ripley@eudoramail.com

Autor del libro "Solid Wastes and Recycling in Latin America & the
Caribbean: Trends & Policies" 
   http://www.raymond.com/latinamr.htm

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On Fri, 15 Mar 2002 09:43:58    C E F G :-) wrote:
>
>  Everyone...
>
>  (Cut)  What Ric Anthony said bears repeating : Let's include more
>  materials on the bus, not begin throwing things off. (Paste)
>
>  VERY SIMPLE.
>  Add room on the recycling trucks for items we want and need to keep out
of
>  the landfills and processing facilities.
>
>  Examples would be used auto oil, auto batteries, tires, paint and
e-waste.
>  To continually believe that citizens are going to drive all around(out of
their way) when the garbage can is at the end of the driveway to rid
themselves of these items is ridiculous.  Buy choice many people use the
vacant lots or rural roadsides as their personal dumping grounds.  Yes the
dedicated citizens that care about the environment will drive to the right
place to get rid of the tires, oil, etc.  It is the illegal dumpers that we
need to get onboard.  All the educational efforts are wasted if convenience
of "proper disposal" is not provided.  Convenience is not a 4-5 mile drive--
it is at the end of the driveway.
>
>  I think the buzzword sustainability could be used to describe the
>  "recycling bus" that is loaded with the "right and wrong" materials.
>  Maybe the name of the bus should be changed to "Enviro Truck"
>  since much of what is collected as recyclables(i.e. glass) is really
>  reused not recycled!
>
>  Instead of the continual "$hort term market thought proce$$"
>  usually promoted by the hauler$ and/or landfill indu$try, it is time
>  for our nearsighted leaders and bureaucrats to start thinking "outside"
>  of the box.
>
>  It is time to keep moving environmental initiatives and needed changes
>  forward-- not backwards down the slippery slope.
>
>  Regards, C. William
>
>     #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #  #    
>  "Everyday should be an Earth Day."
>
>


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