He’s got trash on his mind

WASILLA — In the past year, at least five businesses have recycled more than a ton of garbage and the local group accepting the trash is honoring them.

Dr. Lynn Mickleson makes regular runs to 10 local businesses. Some he hits every day. Most hand over about 20 pounds of recyclables on each trip.

He loads their steel, aluminum, plastic and cardboard — mostly cardboard — into his Toyota Prius and brings it to the Valley Community for Recycling Solutions lot on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway.

On Monday, Mickleson handed out awards, the “One Ton Award” to various local businesses.

Five, he said have earned the honor: Quizno’s, Wasilla Tesoro, the Wasilla Senior Center, Computer Renaissance and Krazy Moose subs.

“All these businesses are usually glad to help,” Mickleson said.

And he, too, enjoys the work, which gives him a decent workout and fills up his days now that he’s retired and has stepped down from the VCRS board of directors, where he was the founding president 12 years ago.

“I don’t get paid for it. It’s just something I know needs to be done,” he said.

But can his Prius handle all that trash?

“If you break it down, you’d be amazed,” he said.

Of the remaining half of his customers, Mickleson said there are a few who are getting close to winning awards for themselves.

He got into trash hauling about two years ago.

“I stopped in at Tesoro every day to get a Diet Pepsi and I realized that they have all this cardboard,” he said.

He set up a relationship there, and built some more relationships. He gets recyclables elsewhere, too.

“During the summer months I’m not above doing a little Dumpster diving,” he said with a chuckle.

Now, with 10 stops on his route, Mickleson said he wouldn’t be opposed to getting a new customer. But at this point he’d probably have to be somewhat selective.

“I’m almost at my saturation point right now,” Mickleson said.

Between personal obligations and his route — just at Tesoro he stops by once a day — there’s not much room left in his schedule.

He said anyone he can’t take on he’d urge to call one of the private recycling companies. They charge a fee but are more than willing to haul a business’ trash.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.