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www.driftlessjournal.com | news@driftlessjournal.com | 563-382-4221 | Tuesday, March 12, 2024 | Vol. 6 Issue 11
Keeping items clean equals more green Contaminated recyclables have a cost By Denise Lana
Picture it: Decorah 2024. You have been hired by the city to collect “gizmos” and are paid $90 for every 2,000 gizmos you find. After finding 2,000 valuable gizmos, you place them in a container to keep them safe and clean. You are proud of your hard work and accomplishment, knowing you are helping your city! When time comes to turn in your gizmos and get paid, you are shocked to discover the container was infiltrated by the foul and impure “widgets”, and your gizmos have been soiled and polluted, rendering them worthless. Not only do you not receive your $90, but you also have to pay $74 to have your gizmos disposed of properly. How did those widgets even get into your container of gizmos? A silly story, yes. But in reality, this is what happens every single day at the Winneshiek County Recycling Center. Not gizmos and widgets, of course, but with assorted recycling materials. Recycling containers designated for paper are polluted by bags of garbage. Buyers of bulk paper who purchase from the recycling center don’t like polluted loads, so now, the garbage paper is worthless. The recycling center, which makes anywhere from $75 to $90 per ton of paper, has now lost that revenue, and instead has to pay a garbage hauler to transport most of the paper-turned-garbage to the landfill, which charges $74 per ton to dispose of the waste – all because garbage was carelessly put in the wrong bin. On average, the Winneshiek County Recycling Center (WCRC) amasses 10 cubic yards of non-recyclable items every single LEFT- WCRC employee Steve Lennon is one of four employees who work together simultaneously to sort plastic and metal items into their appropriate categories. Every single item received at the center is touched by human hands, which stresses the importance of those items not being contaminated by food, diapers, hazardous materials, and other dangerous pollutants. (Driftless Multimedia photo by Denise Lana) INSETYogurt containers and plastic shopping bags are two huge culprits that are NOT recyclable and contribute to the loss of revenue at the Winneshiek County Recycling Center. Shopping bags are accepted at area grocery stores and second-hand stores like The Depot.
day. A cubic yard can weigh up to several hundred pounds, and with the landfill charging $74 per ton, that could easily add up to a revenue loss up to $74 per day. That might not seem like much loss, but when it is multiplied by the number of workdays each year, the loss becomes much larger. If one took 251 work days (weekdays minus holidays) and multiplied that by $74, that comes out to a revenue loss of $18,574. Now these calculations are not official numbers from the WCRC, but as a conservative estimate, that’s still a lot of money lost to carelessness. Evan Neubauer, Waste Reduction and Recycling Educator with Winneshiek County Conservation, discussed the rising issue with cross-contaminated recycling. “We’ve mainly been seeing things like trash getting thrown into bins – a few days ago, someone threw several trash bags in the center’s cardboard bin at the drop-off shed.” “Trash, especially food waste, can contaminate an entire load of recyclable material, and the buyers don’t want that load,” Neubauer stressed. “Paper is also really easy to contaminate when paper products containing food are put with regular paper waste.” Many people aren’t sure what items are acceptable and how to transport or prepare those items. Other people find themselves in a hurry and dump their entire lot of items in one bin, figuring it will be sorted out at the end. And a few folks are just downright lazy and treat the recycling containers like garbage and compost bins. Oftentimes, items are left outside of containers that are full, or hazardous items are tossed willy-nilly into bins. “Recently we had someone put a large metal filing cabinet in the center’s paper bin, and when we unloaded that bin, we were expecting paper to come out and the filing cabinet came tumbling out! Not only do we have to pull random items out, but they also could be a safety hazard,” explained Neubauer. One common misconception, called “Wish-cycling” by Neubauer, is when people feel guilty about throwing things in the trash, so they place random assorted items, most of which is garbage, in recycling bins, hoping they can get recycled. But like contaminated cardboard, garbage has a price. The center has to transport any garbage to the landfill and pay to have it dumped. “Every item placed in a container is touched by the recycling staff,” Neubauer emphasized. “The team has to sort through each item in
Recycling continued on page 4
Turkey Valley FFA helps produce 100,000 meals to combat hunger In a heartwarming display of community spirit and dedication to service, the Turkey Valley FFA and New Hampton FFA have achieved a remarkable goal of producing 100,000 meals for Meals from the Heartland, a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating hunger. Over the past several months, members of both FFA chapters poured their time, energy and resources into the ambitious goal of packaging 100,000 meals to support those in need. Through tireless fundraising efforts, strategic planning and hands-on work, these young individuals embraced the challenge with unwavering enthusiasm. The initiative not only served as an opportunity to make
a tangible difference in the lives of others, but also fostered a sense of purpose within the local communities. Students, teachers and volunteers came together, united by a shared commitment to addressing food insecurity and making a meaningful impact. The meals produced by Turkey Valley FFA and New Hampton FFA will go on to support Meals from the Heartland’s mission of providing nutritious food to individuals and families facing hunger in Iowa and beyond. Their efforts serve as a reminder that even the most minor acts of kindness and generosity can ripple outward, bringing hope and sustenance to those who need it most.
FFA members from Turkey Valley and New Hampton worked together to package 100,000 meals for nonprofit organization Meals from the Heartland. (submitted photo)
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