By Jason Engel, Architecture
As the human race rapidly approaches the twenty first century, we are slowly starting to realize the devastation that we have caused to the earth. We are beginning to implement extensive recycling programs throughout the nation to prevent our existing landfills from being filled beyond capacity. Educational programs have also been developed to make people aware of the 3 R's-reducing, reusing and recycling. These programs are dramatically affecting communities throughout the nation including Washington State University and the City of Pullman, Washington.
Indicators, Strategies and Benefits
The indicators (I’s in bold and underlined) measure progress towards achieving sustainable recycling systems. The strategies (S’s in bold) are recommended actions to improve each indicator. The I’s and the S’s are followed by a discussion of societal, economic, and environmental benefits.
I.2. Reduce the amounts of recyclable material disposed of in
individual trash cans and taken to landfills.
S.2.a. Educate the public on the positive effects of recycling in
order to reduce the amount of trash going to our landfills.
S.2.b. Provide citizens with convenient pick-up or drop-off recycling
facilities.
The measurement of the amount
of material that is recycled (and not disposed of and taken to landfills)
is a useful indicator of a sustainable society. When an individual
throws an item away that could be recycled, the person sometimes does not
realize the effect that one item has when combined with other individuals’
waste. This indicator allows people to see the amount of recycled
material being disposed of in trashcans that could be recycled into new
items.
Strategies that allow the
individual to become more aware of the effect recycling has in educating
the public on the negative effects of individual trash being complied in
our landfills and how much of that waste could have been easily recycled
by the individual. When people begin to realize the effect they have
by recycling, the indicator will measure this improvement. The city
can also aid the citizens in recycling by providing convenient pick-up
or drop-off recycling facilities. The benefits of recycling material
include less waste to landfills, creating a more sustainable society and
cleaner, healthier environment. The City of Pullman, Washington is
beginning to benefit from the recycling program.
Pullman’s recycling program
was established in the mid 1980’s. This was a time when Pullman
was limited to the recycling drop off station. Curbside pick-up was
not implemented until 1994. When curbside pick-up became available
to the Pullman community, the amount of recycled material nearly doubled.
The drop off site was located
in a central location on Benewah Street and unfortunately recently moved
to 295 Wawawii Road on the edge of the City. There is also a recycle
station on campus just off a Grimes Way. At these locations, people
can drop off their recyclable items if they choose not to participate in
the curbside collection service, which cost approximately $2.50 monthly
per household or 12.9% of the garbage bill for commercial pick-up.
The drop off site accepts aluminum, glass, newspaper, office paper, copper,
brass, car batteries, plastics #1 PETE, #2 HDPE and brown corrugated cardboard.
Out of these materials, the station will only pay people for the aluminum.
The residential pick up service offers a somewhat less extensive collection,
which only includes: newspaper, plastics #1 PETE, #2 HDPE, aluminum and
glass, serviced weekly, with the number one recycled product being newspaper.
The collection service is currently adequate enough for the amount of material
that is being collected by the system; however if recycling increases more
people will be hired.
Once the recyclable materials
have been collected, they are sent from Pullman to the Whitman county landfill.
Everything except glass is baled according to type in six hundred pound
bundles. Once bundled they are sold to a broker that pays the county
the current rate for the recyclable items (approximately four hundred dollars).
Pullman Recycling Center receives approximately 10% to 12% of that amount
paid for the bundle. From here the material is shipped to western
Washington, Spokane or Salt Lake City, Utah for processing and delivery
to companies where the recycling process is completed by reusing the products
in new materials. Spokane is the most common place for this stage
of recycling. The glass that is collected is broken down and sold as a
construction fill that is used in the building of bridges. As one
can see even the limited amount of recyclable items collected in Pullman
are redistributed throughout the northwest, thus reusing valuable resources
and preventing the filling of our local landfill.
Pullman Recycling service
is required among the residential area, but not in the commercial areas.
Pullman Recycling only services 20 to 30 of the commercial establishments
located in the city. However, it does serve 70 to 80 commercial buildings
with cardboard pick-up, which is a free service unlike the other service
that picks up the common recycled material. The recycling program
has eliminated 10% of the 38,000 tons of waste that is deposited in the
Whitman county landfill annually.
In the fall of 1997, Pullman began conducting a
trial program of composting yard waste. Yard waste can be brought
to Pullman Disposal located on 295 Wawawai Road, the yard debris should
be separated into small woody materials (branches, twigs, etc.) and clean
green yard waste (leaves, grass clippings, etc.). Pullman has been
and will continue to be very active and in creating recycling programs
that allow the citizens to create a better community.
As people become more educated
about the affects of recycling and becomes more of a demand than an option,
Pullman Recycling will be prepared. As we come to the end of the
twentieth century, we as a human race need to start repairing the devastation
in our past. The first step in creating a sustainable community is
to recycle, reuse, and reduce, a concept that the so called "generation
next" learned in elementary school. The human race will have to see
what the "next" generation will bring, as we envision a sustainable future.
