VCRS to mark anniversary

Recycling center provides Valley trash with a higher purpose

December 20, 2005

DAWN DE BUSK\Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU - Seven years ago, a group of community members envisioned a goal of offering consistent recycling to residents who had become apathetic because of failed recycling efforts in the past.

Valley Community for Recycling Solutions opened the doors of its semipermanent facility on Dec. 21 three years ago, providing a place for recycling on weekends, said VCRS' Mollie Boyer. Through every dark day and all bad weather, VCRS members never canceled a recycling day and recycling opportunities soon expanded to Thursdays and Fridays.

&#8220We opened on the shortest day of the year. We will be a light in the darkness. We want to shine as a vision for our community,” Boyer said.

The center, located on the corner of the Palmer-Wasilla Highway and 49th State Street, celebrates its third-year anniversary Wednesday with an open house from 2-6 p.m. that will include tours of the facilities at 2:30 and 4 and a bonfire starting around 4, according to Boyer.

In recognition of the facility's contribution to the community, the borough has designated Wednesday VCRS Day.

The center's bank of volunteers has grown since 2002. This summer, with a grant-backed purchase of an industrial-sized baler, forklift and loader, VCRS now can handle large volumes of recyclable products - like the amount produced by businesses or even the Mat-Su Borough School District, Mollie Boyer said.

The newest piece of the recycling-solution puzzle is that the center is able to accept massive volumes of recycling from businesses. Local companies may drop off recyclables Tuesday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., she said.

Already, Matanuska Maid sends vanloads of plastic milk jugs, Mat-Su Borough's administrative office brings in office paper and cardboard, Purely Alaskan Water donates plastic jugs from its bottling operation, and the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman delivers newspapers from its printing plant, Boyer said.

In 2005, VCRS has doubled its revenues, but still isn't a sustainable nonprofit.

The industrial-sized baler, which replaced a baler that bundled products into non-standard sizes, has allowed VCRS to ship its product to more places without having the bales broken down and rebaled.

&#8220You need to be able to control the product. If you're negotiating with a buyer and you have a standard-size bale of one product, you have more leverage,” she said.

Boyer explains how achieving the goals of the recycling center proves the next goal is possible.

&#8220What really important is that this is do-able. There's so many good ideas out there that aren't do-able. Because this is do-able, it helps to empower people. That's why we have such a good return on our volunteers. They come back because they've done something tangible,” Boyer said.

Sometimes, even people who end up serving court-ordered community service time with VCRS keep on volunteering after they've done their hours, she said.

&#8220The breadth of our outreach is huge. Each one of our volunteers is an ambassador and an educator,” she said, adding that about 400 volunteers help out each year, not including the people who take part in the Alaska State Fair recycling program.

Boyer takes pride that the word &#8220community” was kept in the name of the nonprofit. Residents give not only their time and monetary donations, but gifts like educational tools and art.

One man designed a metal raven that hangs on the wall in Boyer's office.

&#8220Some people think the raven is representative of recycling because it scavenges,” she said.

Jeannie Berres, who works at Big Lake Elementary School, collects newspaper, office paper and plastic from the school and brings it to the center every two weeks. She also volunteers once a month, but most recently dropped off reusables.

She pulled her teal-colored truck with its camper into the structure and about 10 volunteers circled around, pulling out boxes and bags and sorting the items into bins.

&#8220I was part of the group in the Colony High School parking lot with the wind blowing, chasing plastic bags. This is a wonderful luxury to have this here,” Berres said.

Contact Dawn De Busk at 352-2252, or dawn.debusk@frontiersman.com.