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Tom Tyler of Stafford disposes of his recyclables at the Stafford Regional Landfill on Monday.
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Jimmy Hare guides a truck full of recyclable materials at the Rappahannock Regional Landfill in central Stafford. |
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.
David King, the city's assistant public works director, said eventually those trucks will be replaced with full-size compactor trucks. Then, customers won't have to sort items at the curb, and the trucks will be able to carry much more. Material can also be dropped off at the Belman Road Recycling Center.
In recycling, education is also important, said Julie May, an analyst for the regional board.
"That's what my job is. I talk to people, go to schools, have them go to the Web site. I like to think that people know what's going on" she said. Customers who know more about the process tend to do more recycling.
Each of the rest of the Fredericksburg-area localities fared worse than the state average, according to the DEQ report. Behind Stafford and Fredericksburg, Culpeper County was next best at 33.8 percent. King George County, which has one of the busiest commercial landfills in Virginia, did the least recycling last year, at 15.8 percent. It's operated by Waste Management and takes millions of tons of out-of-state trash.
For all of Virginia, the Richmond area was highest, with 53 percent of waste recycled. Statewide, there was an increase in recycling of plastics, metals, glass and used oil from 2006 to 2007.
DEQ used data from recycling rate reports submitted by the 74 solid waste planning regions in Virginia representing 325 Virginia cities, counties and towns. The percentage represents 3.6 million tons of material recycled or reused.
"Recycling rates continue to be strong across Virginia," DEQ Director David K. Paylor said in a press release.
"It is clear that Virginians are committed to recycling as a way of preserving our natural resources and minimizing the use of landfill space."
Virginia 2007 Annual Recycling Rate Report, deq.state.va.us/Rusty Dennen: 540/374-5431
Email: rdennen@freelancestar.com
