Karla's Kolumn: Recycling in Small Town America

Why do people recycle?

Some people recycle as their gift to the Earth to help reduce use of fossil fuels for plastics and reduce the loss of trees for paper.

Other recycle as a way to keep landfills from filling up.

Some recycle as a way to make money, although that reason is not as prevalent as it used to be.

Recycling in Small Town America is not easy. People may have a desire to recycle, for any of the above or other reasons, but opportunities are limited.

The Washakie County Solid Waste Disposal District that operates the Worland landfill accepts corrugated cardboard and office paper. There are approximately 80 cardboard dumpsters around Worland and a plan to increase the one cardboard dumpster to two in Ten Sleep.

Landfill manager Mike Siegfried asks that people bring their office paper and shredded paper, bagged, to the landfill. In an interview earlier this week, he expressed the issues they are having with trying to recycle the paper and cardboard.

The biggest issue is people using recycling dumpsters as trash dumpsters. When cardboard or paper gets wet or dirty it cannot be recycled and ends up in the pile of trash in the dumpster, defeating the purpose of trying to do good for the environment and trying to not fill up the landfill.

The problem, however is not unique to Worland.

The town of Basin for several years had a trailer where recyclables were collected - certain plastic bottles, aluminum cans, office paper and newspaper. A recycling group was able to get funding to purchase the trailer and donate it to the town and town employees hauled the trailer to the Powell Recycling Center.

However, they had the same issue as Worland, people were putting trash in the bins.

Another issue for Basin was the time and manpower to take the trailer to Powell. If things were not sorted exactly, the employees had to sort them before they were accepted at the recycling center.

The trailer is no longer in use.

The town also had purchased a used baler to bale cardboard, but again, they had to ensure the cardboard did not get wet and they were unable to generate enough cardboard to make it worth while for companies to come and pick up the cardboard to recycle.

Thermopolis had a similar experience, having a recycling program where recyclables were taken to Fremont County. They also had trouble finding time and manpower to free up to take the recycling trailer to Fremont County.

They now have a compost/wood pile at the landfill and scrap metal pile at the landfill.

Greybull has been able to battle through some of the issues and takes a trailer with paper, plastic and tin cans to Powell. They try to make sure they get trash and non-recyclables removed but as their public works superivsor said "it's part of having a program" unless there is a 24-hour monitor at the trailer.

Recycling in large cities is easier with recycling centers in the community.

Laramie even has curbside pickup for recyclables with the city charging a small recycling fee on the residents' utility bill.

I appreciate the efforts that the Washakie County Solid Waste Disposal District and Washakie County Conservation District and recycling groups have made to provide some recycling in Washakie County.

I encourage people to adhere to the signs on the recycling dumpsters and break down the cardboard, put them in the dumpster so that they can be recycled. Leaving them on the side of the dumpster in the snow turns them into trash.

Recycling in Small Town America isn't easy but it can be done if we all work together.

In Small Town America, recycling is the job of everyone. It takes money for groups or government entities to set up recycling programs, but it also takes people pitching in and cooperating - using recycling dumpsters for the intended use only; breaking down the boxes so they can be baled; taking that extra time to take the office paper out to the landfill.

Along with the efforts at the landfill, the Worland Senior Citizens Center collects aluminum cans and has a drop off on the side parking lot, or they can be dropped off inside the center. Cans do not have to be crushed or rinsed.

The cans are sold to Pete Smet Recycling of Worland as a fundraiser. Pete Smet Recycling accepts aluminum and tin cans from soda and canned food.

But in Small Town America, including Worland, it is also about reusing as much as it is about recycling. New Hope Humane Society reuses newspapers for the cat and dog kennels. Yes, they eventually go to the landfill, but they find a new purpose after you've read up on all the daily news.

At the Northern Wyoming Daily News, we reuse a lot of our used office paper and make our own note pads.

Whether you recycle or reuse, please help out and thank those who are making the recycling efforts in our communities possible.