Document text
http://www.omniture.com --> Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Advertisement Email Story to a Friend May 21, 2006 Taking recycling to the next level By JENNIFER STRANGE for the Mail Tribune "Keeping the woods clean," is how Butte Falls Mayor Ron Ormond refers to the town's recently ramped-up recycling program. Over the past year, Ormond and several volunteers have nursed a tiny, homegrown recycling effort into an undertaking that has hauled away more than 50 tons of recyclables. "Prior to last August it was a cardboard and plastic recycling area with a yearly cleanup like a lot of the towns do in the valley," Ormond said. "But we always had a stockpile of metal that had to be removed and trash in the woods, so we instituted what I call the '365-Days-a-Year' cleanup." Now the city provides a metal Dumpster and a waste Dumpster for large items such as televisions, stereo systems, stoves, sofas, bedsprings, washers, dryers — the sorts of household discards that used to end up in the forest — all for free. "It's really close to 28 tons of each kind of waste since we started," said Ray Watkins, operations manager at Southern Oregon Sanitation in Eagle Point. "Once a month — or more if there's a guy who's doing a big cleanup on his property — we empty the two 30-yard Dumpsters and haul out everything." Only those items containing Freon aren't included in the service. Non-metal waste is taken to the Rogue Disposal-owned Dry Creek Landfill outside White City, where the recycling center bundles it up and resells it. Most of the metal ends up at whichever area scrap metal place offers the best price on any given day. Recycling efforts don't stop at household appliances and building materials. On June 12, the city is bringing a car crusher to town. Last year, a hundred jalopies were hauled away. And even though tires can't be recycled, the city will haul out tires that have been left at the recycling center, at a cost to itself of $1 to $2 each. "If they're going to throw them into the woods, they might as well leave them here," says Ormond. "It'll keep the road a little cleaner." The combined recycling service costs nothing for Butte Falls residents and is available to anyone else for a suggested $5 donation. The cost for an additional household curbside recycling service is included in each resident's monthly garbage bill. How was Ormond able to institute the program for such a nominal price? "I came up with this idea to make it an effort between the BLM Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service and the timber industry," said the mayor. Ormond also accepts donations from individuals. The first round of solicitations raised about $1,500, which covered a bit less than half the first year's costs. "The theory was, when you make people pay for things they won't use it. But if you make it free and a community effort, it'll work." Butte Falls Recycling Center is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. seven days a week. From trash to town treasure Born in the mind of a Butte Falls High School student named Jatina Baldwin in 1998, the student-run Recycle Club started as a hope for a tidier town. "Jatina decided we needed a depot — a place where people could take their recyclables," said Dianne Gorman, math teacher at Butte Falls High School and former Recycle Club adviser. With the help of lan Buchta, who worked for the Bureau of Land Management at the time, Jatina landed a grant to build a recycling depot. Located at the Butte Falls Sewer Treatment Facility, the depot consisted of a few containers for cardboard and paper and was operated by the city and by student volunteers. "The students used to have to take all the recyclables downtown, but gradually they became more detached and I started doing that," recalls Gorman. "Then Southern Oregon Sanitation started taking it so we didn't have to haul and that helped a lot. Then we stepped back altogether." When the city took over the center last year, it added new regulations, regular hours of operation and a much larger scope. The facility now recycles metal, appliances, building materials and even cars. Although the school no longer has a hand in the Recycle Center, Gorman doesn't mind. "Our vision was always that it would be something that was just automatic, not something we'd have to take care of," she said. "Now we have curbside recycling. Starting a trend that has turned into something convenient and responsible was always the plan." Advertisement s Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers Southern Oregon Loans California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy