Recycling rules

PALMER— The Valley Community Recycling Solutions (VCRS) celebrated their 20th anniversary on Sunday, May 20 with a large turn out, lots of food, artistic activates, and several live performances by local bands. VCRS director, Mollie Boyer was happy by the party and even happier with the Palmer City Councils decision to ban plastic bags, following Wasilla’s lead.

“It was a happy surprise,” Boyer said after the city council meeting.

She said that all the testimonies she heard that day were positive. She’s happy this topic has entered the public conversations and steps are being taken to protect the animals and surrounding ecosystems.

“It’s not anybody doing it intentionally,” Boyer said.

The trouble, Boyer said, is the “nature” of the plastic bags. Due to their shape and material, plastic shopping bags have strong likelihood of getting blown away in the wind. She referred to an area behind the center near the landfill that was completely cleaned up and rid of plastic bags last year. Now, it’s completely full of bags again.

“It’s not just unsightly, it’s killing animals,” Boyer said.

She recounted anecdotes of caribou, moose and even pets like dogs getting plastic pulled out of their stomach. At least two caribou died due to plastic ingestion that she knew of.

At the 20th anniversary celebration, The Mountain Waxwings, Jerry Wessling Band, Carhartt Brothers, and Adeline’s Quartets played several songs and mingles after their shows. Various walks of life showed up to the celebration, from eco-eccentric families to assorted advocates, volunteers and collaborates united under the quest to reduce, reuse and recycle.

“Everything is a resource,” Boyer said.

One of the center’s prized attractions is their art/education trails that circle around the building. The trails are decorated with various handmade sculptors and other creations, crafted from recyclable materials and other items that would normally fill a landfill. From flowers made from old CD’s to a haiku poetry garden, the path was interactive as it was illustrious. Art and recycling go hand in hand according to Carmen Summerfield, Director of the Valley Arts Alliance (VAA) and longtime friend and collaborator with Boyer.

“Congratulations to the recycling center. All the things they’ve done so far are impressive,” Summerfield said.

Boyer lamented for the countless people from the community who’ve made the center’s efforts a success. The names are too many to list, but she knows they are looking down from “somewhere else” and smiling.

For those who haven’t started recycling yet but may wish to start, Boyer has some advice: start simple.

“Try paper. Once you get comfortable, try adding on more.”

VCRS has a complete list of recyclable materials and where to take them at their main office as well as their website:www.valleyrecycling.org

Plastic shopping bags will be banned from Wasilla this July and Palmer starts their ban next January.