Brake: Recycling opportunities increase

CINDY WOOD/independent feature writer

It doesn’t take much to make George Brake happy. In fact, a huge pile of “stuff,” which might include empty pizza boxes, aluminum cans, and plastic shopping bags, really gets him going.

“That’s where I get my buzz,” said Brake, manager of the Van Wert Solid Waste Management District. “These piles would completely cover my car multiple times, and I know all this ‘stuff’ is going to be reused, and it’s going to be new, and it’s not going into a big hole in the ground.”

Brake is serious about recycling, and, more and more, Americans are getting serious about being “green.” Everywhere today, businesses and industries are touting their “greenness,” while more and more shoppers are packing their groceries into reusable cloth bags, and, all around the country, recycling bins can be found sitting at the curbside. It’s all an attempt to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Brake said the practice of recycling is truly a no-brainer.

“It’s really a gift you’re giving to future generations,” Brake noted. “When we recycle, we provide resources, instead of just throwing them away.”

Recycling, which turns materials that would otherwise become waste into valuable resources, began to gain attention nearly three decades ago. Thirty years later, many cities now make recycling a requirement.

Van Wert does not, but the option of recycling is readily available to any resident in the county, thanks to the VWSWMD’s curbside recycling program. The good part? It’s paid for, Brake said.

Residents of a municipality pay $28.60 a year as part of their property taxes, and country residents pay $6 annually, with the higher municipal cost being the option of curbside recycling. Additionally, drop-offs are available in various townships, and the SWMD offers a convenient drive-through drop-off at its facility at 1135 N. Washington St.

“We make it very convenient for our customers,” Brake said, adding that he estimates the recycling plant could currently take approximately 75 percent of a resident’s waste volume. Seventy-five percent? “Yes, seventy-five percent,” Brake said. “So it’s not only a benefit to the earth and the economy, it’s a benefit for the homeowner because he is not disposing of so much waste.”

The benefits of recycling run far and wide, Brake said, including:

• Reducing the need for landfills and incineration
• Prevention pollution caused by the manufacturing of products from virgin materials
• Saving energy
• Decreasing emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change
• Conserving natural resources such as timber, water and minerals.
• Sustaining the environment for future generations.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, there are three steps involved in the recycling process. The first step, collection and processing, varies in different cities, but the common thread lies in the four primary methods, including curbside, drop-offs, buy-back centers and deposit-refund programs. Once a recyclable is collected, they are sorted and prepared into marketable commodities for manufacturing.

The second step of the process is the manufacturing of recycled products, which has grown tremendously in recent years. Many of the products consumers find on shelves today include total or partial recycled content.

The last step of the process is provided by the consumer, who purchases the recycled products. The EPA states that as more consumers demand products safe for the environment, manufacturers are meeting that demand.

At the local recycling center, workers busily sort and prepare tons of materials for processing. It’s a process that works well, and one Brake is extremely proud of. “We pick up thousands and thousands of pounds a day,” Brake said, adding that all of that waste would otherwise go into a landfill. “Once it goes into that hole in the ground, our kids will never have access to it. It’s just lost,” Brake said. “And it impacts everything associated with that loss, which can be water and air quality. It’s a documented fact that recycling is cheaper and reduces the draw on natural resources. That’s why industries have jumped on board and made such headway with recycling.”

As more and more people began recycling, the process became simpler as well, Brake said. “The labels can stay on now, as well as the lids. We just ask that people rinse it out and separate the fiber materials.” Two bins are provided per household and replacement bins are available at the plant for a small fee.

While much headway has been gained, Brake said there is always room for improvement by increasing the number of people who do recycle. “There is an opportunity here for everyone to benefit,” Brake said. “So many things are out of control in life, but this is something they can control. Everyone has an opportunity right in front of them. All they have to do is step up to the plate.”

For more information about local recycling programs, call 419.238.7767 or visit www.recyclevw.org.