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Stafford, city leading other localities in recycling efforts Date published: 12/5/2008
By RUSTY DENNEN Stafford County and Fredericksburg are doing a better job of recycling than other area localities. That's according to the Department of Environmental Quality's annual report, which says the two localities, which operate a joint landfill, recycled nearly 45 percent of waste generated in 2007. On a regional basis, the Fredericksburg area has the second-highest recycling percentage in Virginia, at 47 percent. The state average is 38.5 percent. Stafford and Fredericksburg handle waste and recycling efforts through the Rappahannock Regional Solid Waste Management Board. In 2006, the regional board's recycling rate was 40 percent. Andrew Mikel, superintendent of the regional landfill on Eskimo Hill Road in central Stafford, said recycling results have been steadily improving. "It's an evolution of things," he said. "Back in the day you'd segregate green, amber and clear glass, types of plastics, newsprint, cardboard." Then as markets developed for recycled materials, those would be separated. "Now you take everything you used to sort and collect in one bin." The board recently switched to that "single stream" system. Recycle America, a subsidiary of Waste Management Inc., picks up and sorts the materials for sale to end users. According to Waste Management, a single-stream process results in an average recovery of up to 30 percent more recyclable materials while maintaining material quality equal to if not better than traditional recycling processes. The system is easier for haulers, who can use regular compactor trucks, and more convenient for customers. "When I came here in 2004, one of the things I learned quickly is that you've got to make it as easy as possible for people to recycle," Mikel said. The main benefit to the county is saving landfill space. Mikel says mulching yard waste and recycling construction debris have also helped. And a composting facility for biosolids was added about a year ago. That material must be approved by state regulators before it can be sold for use as fuel. Aerosol cans and plastic grocery-store bags are also now accepted. In Fredericksburg, residents still separate their recyclables for curbside pickup by compartment trucks made for that purpose.
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