Last week the County Commissioners held a public recycling meeting and unanimously decided to take over the recycling center. The ERC has supported this change as a way to significantly improve our local recycling efforts. The Commissioners stated that recycling was both a County need and responsibility and that the goal of assuming control over the recycling center was to make the program more responsive to community needs and strengthen community outreach and customer service. There was strong support for establishing a Citizen Oversight Committee that would be led directly by the County to help ensure a more direct connection with the community.
Many of you “voiced your support for recycling” by responding to last week’s ERC alert (Aug 23) and contacting the Commissioners directly. Your voices were heard as the Commissioners said they received dozens of emails expressing a need for a change – a special “thanks” to all of you who spoke up for better recycling.
As we look ahead, the ERC will focus on what specific changes we can make to improve our recycling program. We’ll be combining input from community members with our own expertise to paint a clearer picture of a more sustainability solid waste future. In the weeks ahead, we’ll be sending out a short survey to gather input on how to improve recycling efforts.
With this change in management, our community has an excellent opportunity to forge a new path for recycling. The ERC hears from over 600 people each year on recycling alone. Please remember that you can find all the answers to your “what-can-I-recycle-and-where” questions on the ERC’s website (www.ercsv.org).
Best Buy in Twin Falls is offering new recycling services that fill in some gaps we experience with our local recycling services. It doesn't matter where you bought the items and no purchase is required. Here is a list of items you can take to their store for recycling (most are free; any charges are noted):
TV's Best Buy will take tube TV's up to 32" and flat screens up to 60". The brands Insignia, Dynex and VPR Matrix are accepted for free. Best Buy charges $10 to recycle any other brand of TV, but they instantly give you a $10 gift card in exchange.
DVD Players, home and car audio systems, computer cables, small electrics, fans and vacuum cleaners: recycled for free at Best Buy
Computers are, of course, accepted for recycling at Ohio Gulch, but if cleaning the hard drive concerns you, Best Buy has a Geek Squad video you can watch online on how to remove it.
Here’s an incredibly well-done and insightful short film (18 mins) by director Ramin Bahrani that flows a plastic bag along it’s life and ends with an unsuspected question of “why”.
Looks like food waste composting is really on the rise -- and for good reason. A national survey of U.S. cities has found that the number of areas offering food waste collections has doubled in the last year. Conducted by BioCycle magazine, the survey was published in the Dec. 2009 edition.
According to the publication, more than 90 communities offering some type of residential food waste collection, more than double the 42 communities identified in a 2007 report.
The Environmental Resource Center has partnered with Plum TV to bring the community a new set recycling awareness spots. Keep an eye out for these on Plum TV!
If you like these spots, perhaps you'd want to try your hand at your own recycling video and even win $2500 in the process. Check out the details here.
The Environmental Resource Center has partnered with Plum TV to bring the community a new set recycling awareness spots. Keep an eye out for these on Plum TV!