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78 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, April 29, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend April 12, 2004 Lions Club member Art Lundahl, 77, throws a bundle of newspaper into a recycling bin in Ashland. The Lions have been collecting and recycling papers as a way to raise money for charitable projects for 30 years. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Recycling idea with legs The Ashland Lions began turning newspapers into cash as a way to buy glasses and hearing aids for the low income By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune ASHLAND — Long before commingled curbside recycling, back when Oregon’s Bottle Bill was still a newfangled notion, members of the Ashland Lions Club got a green idea. Why not turn discarded newspapers into cold cash for charity? A group of local professionals, then men in their 30s and 40s, began meeting once a week to bind and bale yesterday’s news for sale to Portland recyclers. Proceeds from their project would go to the Medford Lions Sight and Hearing Center to pay for eyeglasses and hearing aids for low-income folks. Three decades later, veterans of the Ashland service club are still at it, raising nearly $7,000 in net profits annually for the center. "That’s actually the top-producing bin," says Director Sherrie Messer. Advertisement In a good week, the Ashland Lions will send 10 tons of newsprint to Medford’s Rogue Disposal for recycling. "Thirty years? Yep, we’ve been doing it that long," says Dick Welton, 67, the retired biology professor who came up with the idea. These days, the Lions, now in their 60s and 70s, show up several mornings a week to lug outdated copies of the Ashland Daily Tidings, the Portland Oregonian and the San Francisco Chronicle from pickup trucks into a huge blue bin off Walker Avenue. The Ashland site is among 15 Lions bins located throughout the Rogue Valley, which together collect about 1,100 tons of newspaper for reuse. Prices paid for recycled newsprint swing wildly. Last July, the going rate was $44.75 a ton, but payment has dropped as low as $32 a ton, Messer says. Hauling fees of $90 per bin per trip have to be subtracted from the total. All told, newspaper recycling supplies $30,000 to $40,000 of the agency’s annual $200,000 budget, Messer notes. Two Ashland Lions clubs now share the recycling duties, but it’s apparent that the effort is not merely a chore. As they snip the plastic binding on bundles of papers and toss stacks into bins, the Lions exchange jokes and gentle jibes. "Hey, Fred, don’t get my jacket dirty," Welton calls to Fred Forney, 76, who was recently named Lion of the Year. Art Lundahl, 77, a former high school math teacher, and Ron Nitsos, 67, a retired biology professor, join in the ribbing. "It’s hard to put a total on the value of this," says Hank Rogers, 73, a retired elementary teacher. "There are the social benefits as well." Some members worry that Ashland’s recent switch to commingled curbside recycling could cut down on the Lions’ efforts, decreasing number of newspapers they collect and the profit they raise. But most members say they’ll simply continue as long as they can. "It’s for the fellowship of the fellow Lions," says Welton. "And, of course, the community service." For more information about the Lions Sight and Hearing Center, call 779-3653. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times