Waste Management says recycling available, up to users

Waste Management says recycling available, up to users

By: Sean Dieterich, The Independent
06/15/2010

Waste Management is capable of recycling many common materials through a couple of programs they have. All they need is for people to take advantage of them.

The transfer station on 7654 Lone Pine Dam Road off of state Route 77 between Show Low and Snowflake-Taylor can take many recyclable materials, while cardboard and paper recycling bins are set up at some local businesses. District manager David Rico, who has been with Waste Management for over 26 years, says the company has been involved with recycling during that time throughout the country.
At the transfer station, Rico says they take cardboard, paper, aluminum and tin cans and plastics 1, 2 and 3. He says the plastics they take in range from water bottles to laundry detergent bottles, but the plastic's number is usually printed on the underside of the bottle. Rico says they cannot recycle glass, plastic lids and caps or plastic bags, although bags can be recycled at Walmart. He says they do not charge people for bringing their recyclables to the transfer station.
Rico says the recyclables are shipped to Phoenix, where they are sent to various vendors who Waste Management contracts with to buy the recyclables. Some of the vendors are overseas, while others, he says, are more local, like the Catalyst Paper Mill.
"What we're going to do here is become a central point," he said. "We bale it and we'll truck it down to Surprise."
Rico says Waste Management is building a new, state-of-the-art facility at the Northwest Regional Landfill in Surprise. He says the facility will help decontaminate the recyclables from things like liquids and glass.
Rico says a ground-breaking for the facility was held in April 2009 and they are planning a grand opening in Surprise later on.
The transfer station will soon have some new technology of its own as well. Rico says they have installed a baler, which will make their recycling efforts more effective. He says the baler will take the recyclables and put them in a 1,500-pound bale, which can be trucked down to Surprise where it will be sorted and decontaminated.
Rico says the baler will allow for single-stream recycling, meaning it does not have to be separated. Although they are waiting for Arizona Public Service to hook up the power, he says the baler should be up and running later this summer.
There are also plans in the long term, Rico says, for volunteers to help out with recycling at the transfer station.
"We'd just have to train them before we cut them loose," he said.
Aside from efforts at the transfer station, Waste Management has set up commercial customers with cardboard and paper recycling bins. Rico says there are over 300 bins located in various places within Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside, such as behind Ultrasound Specialities in Show Low and the White Mountain Entertainment Show Low 5 Theater.
Rico says the contents of the bins are taken to the Pinetop-Lakeside Sanitary District on 2600 Alisa Lane in Lakeside. The Pinetop-Lakeside Sanitary District then turns the recyclables into compost, which is sold to the community.
Rico says many people are starting to think green and Waste Management is there with them.
"It's costly to landfill everything," he said. "It's about recycle, reuse."
As an example, Rico says their new baler cost Waste Management $500,000. He says with moves like that, the company is encouraging people to recycle.
"That was the old way; you make trash, you bury it," he said. "Now, you make trash, but we want the recyclables."
While Waste Management has these programs going on, the concern is that not enough people know about it. Wagon Wheel resident and recycling enthusiast Mary Rains-Montano is among those concerned. She says when she lived in Anchorage, Alaska, she volunteered in recycling and education efforts.
"I know many people from Phoenix and Tucson and those places that have recycling," she said. "They want to do it here, but don't know where to go."
Rains-Montano says some people may also not be aware of the proper way to recycle. She says she has seen trash in recycling bins at the transfer station and asks those who do recycle to be sure to put only the appropriate items in the appropriate bins.
"(Waste Management) does not have the employees to sort through people's trash," she said.
Rains-Montano also encourages people to take their recyclables to the transfer station, especially when the baler is up and running. She says if Waste Management feels they are not getting their money's worth with the equipment, they will take it away.
Rico said, "We invested a huge amount of money to bring recycling here. It's not a short term thing."
The Lone Pine Dam Transfer Station is open Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. For more information about the transfer station, call (928) 537-0366. For more information about recycling bins for businesses, call Jim Kelley at (928) 600-6446.

*Reach the reporter at sdieterich@wmicentral.com