Recycling: Sometimes smaller is bigger

Starting in January 2015, Flathead residents will need to adapt to significant changes in the county recycling program. These changes will mean fewer drop-off sites for recycling but will also result in bigger savings. This popular program has experienced sky-rocking expenses, but the changes make the retention of the recycling program more viable.

It is also expected that these changes will result in more material getting recycled properly. And that’s a really big deal, too. Under the old program, while some sections of bins got full, others didn’t, so half-full bins got hauled at a loss.

Under the new program, all No. 1 and No. 2 plastics, aluminum, tin and steel cans go together into one bin, and all mixed paper goes together in another bin. Cardboard will go into a compactor so more volume is hauled in one trip. These changes will go a long way to ensure full bins and will reduce hauling costs.

Proper sorting is a key cost factor as well. The failure of some county residents to properly sort materials for recycling, and the practice of others who scavenge the highest valued metals at these recycling sites, have decreased program income.

One of the biggest mistakes residents make is not looking on the bottom of containers to identify the number or type of plastic they have. Only No. 1 and No. 2 plastics can be recycled here. No. 3 through 7 plastics should be placed in with trash.

Under the new changes in the program, the four available recycling drop-off sites will be inside fenced and employee-managed sites. This will ensure materials are properly recycled and valuable materials are retained for program income.

For many years, the Flathead County Solid Waste District has provided blue recycling collection bins at eight green box garbage collection sites, including Bigfork, Somers, Lakeside, Coram, Columbia Falls, Creston, Ashley Lake and the Flathead County Landfill.

Starting in January, recycling bins only will be available at four sites — Somers, Creston, Columbia Falls and the county landfill.

Valley Recycling has provided recycling collection containers at Albertson’s and Super 1 Foods in Kalispell, and it is expected they will continue to provide this service, provided people using the site do a better job of correctly sorting materials. Signs on the recycling bins at all sites provide clear instructions on how to sort properly.

Flathead County and Bigfork area residents recently came to an agreement where residents will assume an increased fee to support keeping and moving the Bigfork green box site to a better location. Recycling services will also be part of this site. This partnership means Bigfork residents, by supporting a common collection site in their community, will have lower garbage collection costs than if their site had been closed as proposed, and they had needed to purchase private garbage services. Lakeside is working on a similar agreement with the county.

Recycling bins at the Bigfork and Lakeside sites will be removed while the agreements and site improvements are finalized and implemented. Recycling services are anticipated to be back in place as soon as the sites are constructed in the next few years. Meanwhile, the Somers or Creston sites will be the closest recycling drop-off site for these residents during this transition year.

For Flathead County, the bottom line is that recycling will almost always cost more than simply burying this material at the landfill, given the costs for collecting, processing and shipping recycling materials out of state to centers that can turn these materials into new products.

In recognition of other benefits recycling brings, and at the urging of many local residents, the Flathead County commissioners and Flathead County Solid Waste District board and staff have recently provided critical leadership to retain county recycling services by cutting costs almost in half for the recycling program, while improving the program’s efficiency and quality. For this they deserve a big thank you.

Simply throwing away garbage and materials that could be recycled is not free either. Every year in Flathead County, through our taxes, we spend more than $8 million to throw stuff away. When county residents choose to recycle, they help ensure that materials with a market value that makes them worth recycling do not end up in the landfill.

The cost to throw away a ton of garbage at the Flathead County Landfill is $30.50. In contrast, the 2014 value of a ton of recycled No. 1 or No. 2 plastic is $480 at May 2014 market rates. In 2013, plastic was worth less due to market changes. It was worth $240-$280.

While there are costs to collect, bale and transport this ton of plastic or other recyclables to market, local recycling companies work hard to cut costs through efficiency. In turn, they create jobs — approximately 50 jobs in the Flathead. When the public fails to properly sort materials for recycling, however, these companies and the jobs they support are put at risk, as they operate on a very narrow profit margin.

There are other benefits to keeping recyclable materials out of the landfill. For example, 20 recycled cans can be made with the energy needed to produce one new can. Recent studies have demonstrated that the energy required to convert raw materials such as minerals, oil and trees into metals, plastics, and paper is far greater than the amount of energy required to collect and recycle our paper, bottles and cans into new products. Finally, tourism is a giant in our local economy, and tourists expect and appreciate recycling services, as local surveys of these visitors each year demonstrate.

For the time being, county recycling services in the Flathead will get smaller. But the benefits of a more cost-effective program will likely result in greater recycling volumes over the long run, a more sound model for future growth of the county recycling program, the retention of jobs, and the conservation of valuable resources. Add it all up and this is one of those times when smaller is bigger.

Mayre Flowers is the executive director for Citizens For A Better Flathead.