For the week of Sept 25 - Oct 1, 2002

Recycling program 
picks up trash

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"Over 11,500 pounds of glass, aluminum and plastic bottles were kept out of our landfill this summer and recycled instead." 

— CRAIG BARRY, ERC executive director

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By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer

After a glorious summer, valley organizations are assessing the impact of the tourist season.

Lending its hand this year with one aspect was a pilot program initiated, maintained and staffed by the Environmental Resource Center in Ketchum.

The ERC provided recycling at kiosks and volunteers at 32 outdoor events this summer, including the three Twilight Concert Series at River Run Lodge, the Northern Rockies Folk Festival at Hop Porter Park in Hailey, every single Ketch’em Alive in the Forest Service Park, and the Sun Valley Summer Symphony.

During Ketchum’s Wagon Days Parade over Labor Day weekend, ERC’s special event program recycled nearly 50 percent of the waste generated.

"Over 11,500 pounds of glass, aluminum and plastic bottles were kept out of our landfill this summer and recycled instead," ERC Executive Director, Craig Barry said. "Recycling supports more jobs than landfills do, reduces our dependence on natural resources such as imported oil, and curbs a wide variety of pollutants that contribute to global warming."

Barry said 124 volunteers contributed over 460 hours by manning kiosks and keeping event participants informed about what they could and could not recycle. Volunteers also made sweeps through the crowds at various events, educating people about the recycling opportunities while collecting their recyclable waste.

Barry estimated the ERC reached approximately 25,000 people this summer with their efforts.

The ERC also filled a need by recycling plastic bottles at events.

Previously, people had to haul plastics to Twin Falls or Boise. Over 400 pounds of plastic bottles were collected by the ERC’s program.

Barry said the total waste generated from these events was 67 yards, or over 19,000 gallons, of which almost 32 yards, or 9,000 gallons were recycled.

Sponsors for the project included Wood River Rubbish, who donated all of their services. They supplied their recycling carts at each event to use for overflow, then picked up the recyclables and transported them to the Resource Recovery Center at Ohio Gulch. Other sponsors included Blaine County, National Association for PET Container Recovery, and Southern Idaho Solid Waste District.

The ERC is beginning their second phase of the project by implementing plastics recycling in the valley’s schools. They will also be at the Farmer’s Market in Ketchum on Oct. 1.

"People ask me what’s going to happen next? The short answer is we’re working on it," Barry said. "The long answer is I invite people to get involved." Barry recommends interested people attend the Team Recycling meetings monthly to discuss valley-recycling issues. The next meeting is Oct. 1, at 6 p.m. at the ERC, in Ketchum.

 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.