The COVID-19 crisis has changed the way many things are done, but in this area, recycling is not one of them.
Although there were reports earlier that the chain of recycling was breaking down with plastics and other items no longer being accepted by China, Joann Shafer, deputy executive director and Recycling Coordinator for Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority, said there are no problems locally.
“We never sent our plastic overseas,” she explained. In fact, they use companies in Pennsylvania for most of their items.
Plastic bottles go to a manufacturer in York that makes new bottles, paper goes to a plant in Philadelphia to be made into cereal boxes, glass goes to Brockway Glass, and aluminum/steel cans go to Pittsburgh.
Plastic soda bottles are sent to various places including Mohawk Carpet in Georgia, which makes them into polyester fiber.
Early in the spring, they suspended curb-side pick-up of recyclables for about a month until “we realized it (the virus) was not as transmissible” as first thought.
Shafer also commented on people cleaning out their homes, creating an increase in residential recycling.
They were flooded with questions via e-mail and social media as to what could be recycled.
“We were explaining things we thought everyone knew.”
The drop-off sites were also busier, with some items coming in that couldn’t be recycled.
People don’t realize just because an item is recyclable doesn’t mean there is a facility to recycle it in this area, she said.
Jodi Brennan, director of the Clearfield County Solid Waste Authority, said that with more people at home cleaning out their closets, garages and basements, there was more recycling of electronics at the recent event held at the Clearfield County Jail.
She said 180 cars registered for the event, which is “more turn out than usual.”
The agency has sponsored two special electronic recycling events each year for several years.
During the early lockdown in March/April, she said “people were calling asking where to take things” while the drop-off sites were temporarily closed and the spring recycling event cancelled.
The county’s recycling drop-off centers are open again except for the one at the jail, which is now closed permanently.
Brennan explained in a press release recently that the site is no longer able to utilize inmates to man the site and as a result it had to be closed.
Some of the items, metal appliances, cardboard, newspaper, household glass and metal cans, previously accepted at the jail can be taken to Novey’s Recycling. Brennan suggested that Good Tire Service in Clearfield will take old tires.
A problem for all drop-off sites is people dumping garbage, especially at the Rush Township site or just leaving items outside the bins as happens in the site in Curwensville, Brennan said.
Shafer agreed with that as they handle that site for CCSWA and noted that “recycling is not free. Every time someone does that, it costs money.”
There was a time in Curwensville when several bags of items were left outside the bins because one person started it without checking the bin. Then everyone who came along after that, assumed the bins were full and did the same thing, creating a pile of recyclables while the dumpster was actually empty.
There are other ways to help the environment in addition to recycling. Try to buy recycled items or groceries packaged in recycled containers.
Advanced Disposal of Brockway had these tips on its Web site on how you can make a difference every day:
- Reduce paper waste by using both sides of the paper and using scrap paper whenever possible.
- Reduce lunch waste by buying snacks in large bags and putting them into small, reusable containers. The small bags cost up to 30 percent more and create 10 times as much garbage.
- Use a reusable lunch box instead of disposable paper bags.
- Whenever possible, purchase products with minimal packaging.
- Reuse canvas, paper or plastic bags to bring home purchases.
- Share magazines, books, movies and CDs with friends and family instead of buying new.
- Buy recycled products — the greater the demand, the more products will be made with recycled materials.