Excellent speaker & Program. Highly recommend.
How to recycle the right way
Cuyahoga County produces 2.7 million tons of trash a year. Most of that (51 percent) ends up in a landfill; 43 percent is recycled; 6 percent is composted.
A lot of what residents place in recycling bins is tossed in the landfill anyway, said Carin Miller, education specialist for the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District. The district serves 59 communities in Cuyahoga County. Why the waste? Residents don’t recycle properly, Miller said. They try to recycle inappropriate materials or the items they put in the recycling bin are soiled and can’t be used. The situation has led to some communities, such as Brook Park, suspending their recycling programs and trash haulers and recyclers raising their rates.What can be recycled has changed ever since China in 2018 banned 24 types of plastic and paper from the U.S. because 70 percent of it was unusable. For a list of what can and cannot be recycled go to www.cuyahogarecycles.org or the Solid Waste District web site in your county.
In a nutshell, ignore the recycle numbers on the bottoms of bottles and jars. If a plastic container has a neck (catsup, shampoo, peanut butter), it goes in the recycle bin. Just make sure it’s clean. Newspapers, ads, letters are OK. Shredded paper is not. Shredded paper is accepted at those large, usually green, bins you find in church and school parking lots.
Not appropriate for curbside recycling are Christmas lights, clothing, tires, plastic shopping bags, propane tanks, garden hoses, toys, electronics, TVs. There are other places to recycle those.
Miller said since China has restricted what it accepts more U.S. plants are stepping up to the plate. “There is a bright future for paper and cardboard,” she said. “And plastic is improving.” The economic impact on Ohio alone is $5.7 billion a year, she said.
The environmental mantra has been Reduce – Reuse – Recycle. The key is the first two, Miller said. “We can’t recycle ourselves out of this waste crisis.”
Reduce what we buy. Is this a need or a want?
Reuse. Find another use for an item instead of throwing it in the trash. Old clothes become cleaning rags, for example.
For more information, contact the Solid Waste District at (216) 443-3749. The District is headquartered at 4750 E. 131st St., Garfield Heights, 44105.
Miller can be reached at (216) 443-3731 or cmiller@cuyahogacounty.us.
Presents
Lou Groza Charity Golf Outing
Thursday, Sept. 3
Bunker Hill Golf Course
3060 Pearl Road, Medina
Shotgun start 9 a.m.
18 holes of golf, lunch at the turn, beverages & snacks
Awards & Prizes
For more information:
(440) 236-9055
All proceeds benefit Scholarships for Berea-Midpark High School students, Dictionary Project for 4th graders, Shred Fest & Electronics Roundup, Food Pantries & other community projects.
Supported by the Cleveland Browns
In Support of Berea Rotarian Matt Lombardi and his family
