Recycling plastic – Part 2
By Annamaria Morrill
What can be done to reduce plastic waste?
Plastic is light, unbreakable, and a very convenient material, especially when used for packaging commonly used products such as food, bottled beverages, cosmetics, shampoos, and house cleaning products. The packaging ultimately creates a lot of waste. The good news is that most of these bags or containers can be recycled. Many curbside pick-up programs accept many types of plastic, but most cannot recycle plastic bags. Many grocery stores do provide bins where customers can bring their used bags.
Cities often have different rules of what they accept into residential recycling carts. This information is usually provided to public by the local recycling companies. Businesses may also participate with private programs that recycle materials for their manufacturing purposes.
One of these programs is offered through a nationwide outdoor decking company called Trex. In Clatsop County, some grocery stores are participating with Trex, who collects the grocery bags as well as plastic film that aren’t accepted by the local curbside recycling service. They also collect bread bags, produce bags, newspaper sleeves, zip lock bags and bubble wrap. The company then uses them manufacturing decks, railings, fences, and outdoor furniture, that are made of 95% recycled materials. These collecting bins can be found at Safeway stores in Astoria and Seaside.
Local recycling options
Recology Western Oregon is an employee-owned recycling company that collects the red lid carts in Clatsop County. They accept many mixed material in their carts, except electronics, glass, diapers, hazardous materials, plastic bags, or film. The reason the plastic bags cannot be processed, is that they often get tangled into the sorting machinery causing damage. Recology’s website provides a good information about recycling, collection services, and complete lists of what items are accepted for their program. Using this service will greatly reduce household waste, that would otherwise end up into the landfills. Recology also provides many educational programs including school visits, and art programs that encourage people to see discarded materials in a new light.
Many local stores have recycled bottles, and cans for years, and they also recycle plastic and other waste that comes from their product distribution operations. At the entry way in Fred Meyer, Warrenton is a recycling bin, where customers can return their plastic grocery bags, and Kroger/Fred Meyer brand bread bags. The Select Market on Main Street, gives 0.5 cents discount to everyone who uses their own bags. They are also in a process of considering different options to help customers return their used plastic bags.
Warrenton Commissioner Henry Balensifer is researching additional recycling opportunities for Warrenton residents. The city already provides a drop-off depot for glass and cardboard waste behind the El Compadre restaurant parking lot.
The fact is that plastic is not going anywhere, but we can all be part of reducing of its use. The classic motto: “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” will take on new meaning if everyone, from businesses down to our homes, would take responsible ownership of our planet. Either participating of existing recycling programs, creating other options, or crocheting purses, and area rugs from used plastic bags, it all matters. We should support all the efforts to stop needless waste ending into the landfills. Only items that cannot be re-used or recycled should be thrown away.
What can I do?
Use reusable grocery bags when shopping, refillable water bottles (stainless steel or glass), reusable sandwich bags for lunches, reusable produce bags for fruit and vegetables, and buy food in bulk. Discard all accepted plastic items in the curbside recycling cart, and take the plastic bags to the stores that provide collecting bins (learn what is accepted in them).
These are some simple steps everyone can take. Recycling may seem too complicated, and can feel overwhelming, but changing even some little things will eventually make a big difference. Besides these actions, we can also contact our city leaders requesting improvements in our communities. If recycling options are made easy for the residents, more people would participate in the programs.
Recology Western Oregon provides a good information about recycling, and where to find drop-off locations for other waste: www.recologywesternoregon.com More information about Trex’s recycling programs: www.trex.com/recycling/recycling-programs/
SEE PART 1 ON WARRENTON PAGE
