Thank you, Borough Assembly

To the editor:

To give people the incentive of free local recycling when Mid Valley Recycling began, volunteers hauled collected recyclables to Valley Community for Recycling Solutions (VCRS). In the past, when we’ve discussed getting the Borough to help with the hauling, we’ve come to the understanding that local recycling would not remain free to the public once the Borough started hauling for us.

A number of individuals have stepped up to volunteer their vehicle and their time (a typical haul takes three hours from Big Lake transfer site to VCRS in Palmer). Those who have helped include Ralph and Claudia Buzard, Robert Hall and Gorilla Fireworks, Tresa and Don Stevens, Jim Hutton, Jay and Kathy Cross, Missy Hansen, Marianne Malone. Some of our more recent volunteers include Roylin Nielsen, Tim at A to Z Construction, Owen Dicks. Without these people our local recycling would not happen.

Through negotiations with Borough Waste Management, dumpsters have been identified that could be used for recycling. In the future, Big Lake and Willow transfer sites will have dumpsters – retrofitted to VCRS standards, and financed through the efforts of local recycling groups – that Borough contractors can haul. All of the materials collected will continue to go to VCRS for processing, thus saving local residents the trip to Palmer to do the right thing.

After several of us lobbied the Assembly, the Assembly members voted unanimously to keep recycling drop off free at the transfer sites. We thank them all, especially Vern Halter, who spoke with me of the need, and Barbara Doty, who proposed the amendment that eliminated the proposed recycling fee.

Once the Borough begins hauling recyclables to VCRS, volunteers can devote their energies to encouraging everyone to recycle. We hope to continue reducing the amount of recyclable material we see going into the landfill.

At Big Lake, Mid Valley Recycling monitors often see lots of recyclable material, particularly huge quantities of cardboard and drink containers, filling the dumpsters destined for the landfill. We must each do our part to insist that everyone separates their “trash.” As we know on average, three-fourths of everything tossed in the U.S. can be recycled, reused or composted.

It’s wonderful to know that depositing recyclables at the Big Lake and Willow transfer sites will remain free for 2016, even after the Borough begins hauling those recyclables. We have the Borough Assembly to thank for that action.

Now that the Assembly has cleared the way for continued free recycling drop off, it’s time for us all to get after it!

Sammy Taylor

Big Lake