Residents embrace recycling

About one-third of Mountain Home residents have taken part in the recycling program.

Mountain Home residents seem to be embracing the new curbside recycling program. After the first three weeks of operation, Mountain Home Disposal estimated nearly 30 percent of the community had participated in the program, recycling almost four tons (8,000 pounds) of material in the first week alone.

A similar amount was recycled during the second week of the new program. As of Sept. 19, a total of nearly 15 tons of waste had been set aside for recycling, roughly one ton a day since the program began.

Tanya Mericle, public relations and recycling manager, said the company is pleased with the results of the program and continues to encourage all residents to take advantage of the convenient curbside service. She noted the program is responsible for reducing the waste stream by nearly ten percent.

She noted there are still a few questions about the service that are commonly asked.

With access to curbside service, residents of Mountain Home are able to set out the following materials for recycling:

* Plastics (must have a threaded neck and have a recycling symbol)

* Aluminum/Tin/Steel (aerosol cans must be empty)

* Newspaper (includes advertising inserts)

* Magazines/Catalogs

* Mixed Paper (includes junk mail, envelopes, cereal boxes, and paper)

* Cardboard (fold and place under the bin)

* Used Motor Oil (up to two gallons per week; use a transparent jug and set next to recycling bin)

Mericle offers some additional tips for residents:

Recyclables are picked up on the same day as your trash service. Residential customers within Mountain Home have been provided with an 18-gallon blue recycling bin. The bin comes with more detailed information on how to collect and sort recyclables. Additional material that will not fit inside the blue bin may be contained in boxes or other small containers and set out next to your blue bin for collection.

To help keep program costs down, recyclables must be sorted into paper bags within the bin. Your paper bags will be left for you to use again.

Mericle explained that by asking residents to sort materials within the blue bin, Mountain Home Disposal is able to keep the cost low.

The recycling center determines how materials must be sorted in order to be acceptable. If materials were mingled all together in the bin, the cost of the program would go up because someone would have to be paid to sort the materials later.

"If materials are mingled together in your bin, the MHD driver will leave you a card explaining why the materials could not be accepted," Mericle said.

Residents are asked to use paper bags to sort materials because they are made of a recyclable material themselves. If a bag is torn or accidently thrown into the recycling truck, it will not contaminate the other materials.

A plastic bag is not recyclable and therefore cannot be thrown into a load of recycling. "Again," Mericle said, "by using paper bags, residents are able to help keep the costs down.

"MHD''s driver will leave your paper bags for reuse each week as long as they are in usable condition. If the bags are damaged and cannot be reused, the driver will recycle them."

Mountain Home Disposal encourages residents to recycle as much as possible. If you have more material than will fit into the blue bin, use as many additional containers as necessary -- use other plastic containers, boxes, milk crates, etc. However, your blue bin must be visible to the driver, as it is the signal for him to stop and collect your material, said Mericle.

Place used motor oil in a transparent one-gallon jug (milk jug) and set it next to -- not inside -- the blue bin. "If you'd like to save the jug for reuse, please write 'SAVE' on the jug." Motor oil will not be accepted if it is mixed with other fluids such as gasoline, antifreeze, transmission fluids or other kinds of oil. "Motor oil must be contained in a transparent container so the driver can verify the contents. Otherwise it will not be picked up."

Other questions about the recycling program may be directed to Mountain Home Disposal, 587-4237 or the city of Mountain Home, 587-2104.