Small recycling actions can have big impact

BY Robert Wang
The Canton Repository

CANTON - After decades of tossing all her trash, Louise Sherban decided to start recycling. She’s 80.

On one cold and cloudy day, her husband, Ray Sherban, drove her nearly six miles to Diamond Park in Plain Township.

She pushed to lift the lids of the recycling Dumpsters in the park and chucked in newspapers, cardboard, cans and plastic bottles.

“It’s a struggle to get here,” she said, noting this was the closest recycling location to her Lake Township condo.

Louise Sherban started recycling about six months ago, inspired by the example of a friend. She doesn’t expect that she and her husband will live long enough to see what a difference their trips to Diamond Park with make. But she doesn’t want to leave to her children a world with an escalating number of landfills, which she believes will eventually risk their health.

“I just couldn’t see any of that stuff going to waste,” she said. “We used to put it all in (the trash). ... the recyclables that we and people just throw, throw and throw.”

“The landfills are getting filled in,” said her husband, 81. “What the hell are we going to do with this stuff? ... You can’t just keep dumping, dumping, dumping.”

The total tonnage of waste recycled by Stark Countians has climbed steadily the last few years. But the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency says Stark County falls short of state recycling standards. The Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District is expected to agree this week on a long-term recycling plan with the EPA after years of delays.

Louise Sherban said she thought about the toxic effects of the Industrial Excess Landfill in her township and of the people who live around the Countywide Recycling & Disposal Facility in Pike Township.

“I feel so sorry for those people down there,” she said. “They didn’t buy their properties years and years ago thinking they were going to be inundated with everybody’s refuse.”

The Sherbans drop off material at the Diamond Street NE recycling station about once every two weeks.

“What little that we do might help a little bit,” Ray Sherban said.

He said about those who don’t recycle: “Sooner or later, it’ll catch up to them.”

‘REDNECK RECYCLER’

Tom Brunt, 66, of Plain Township showed up at the Diamond Street station the same afternoon to discard some newspapers. He said he’s recycled for years because “I don’t like to see things wasted.”

Brunt, who wore a hat with a red feather, said he doesn’t fit the stereotype of an environmentalist.

“I make this trip usually when I’m on the way to the rifle range,” he said. “I’m a redneck recycler. ... I’m a redneck hunter, fisherman who believes in conservation.”

Less than an hour later, John Long, 54, of Plain Township arrived at the Diamond Street station in his pickup truck with plastic and newspapers in a television box.

Long, a landscaper, said he’s been recycling for about 10 years to try to slow down the growth of landfills in Ohio.

“Anything we can keep out of the landfill is a plus,” he said.

“We live in a get-it-quick-and-easy society,” he said. “Then you still have to deal with the trash problem.”

Long said he used to live in Osnaburg Township and seeing the line of out-of-state garbage trucks heading down Route 44 to American Landfill inspired him to recycle.

“I’m not a big believer in out-of-state dumpers coming into the state,” he said. “I don’t think it’s good business to take on everyone else’s trash.”

But Long sounded skeptical about local recycling.

“A lot of people, they don’t know this (Diamond Street recycling station) is here,” he said. “Even if you had curbside (recycling), you would have a certain amount of people (who) wouldn’t do it.”

At the Jackson Township recycling center on the same day, a Perry Township woman said she doesn’t normally recycle. But there’s money in some recycling. She was paid that day for 14 pounds of cans her 17-year-old son had collected. His total take: $4.20.

“I never thought about really doing (recycling). I don’t have a big garage to do that type of thing” said Judy McWilliams. “I think we should do more, but we don’t.”

RECYCLING THE RIGHT WAY

It’s hard to go wrong when recycling, says John Lancaster, plant manager at J&J Refuse in Canton Township, which sorts and bundles recycled materials. Paper, plastic, aluminum, steel and cardboard all can be recycled.

“People just don’t know what can be recycled ... so they just throw it in the trash,” he said. “If they would just put it in the recycling bin and get it to us, we’ll take care of it.”

Still hesitant? Here’s some answers to recycling questions:

Do I have to take the caps off milk jugs or pop bottles?

You should, but if a few caps slip through, it’s OK, Lancaster said. Plastic caps are made from a different type of plastic than the bottle and can’t be recycled here.

What if I throw cereal boxes in with office paper or newspaper?

It’s OK at most sites. Stark County Recycling officials said residents can put all paper products together, including cardboard, cereal boxes, pizza boxes (with wax paper removed), newspaper and office paper. You don’t even have to remove the staples.

Can I leave the wrappers on aluminum cans and glass bottles and jars?

Yes, but empty all food and liquid from them.

Do I need to rinse my containers?

No. Rinsing does not affect the recycling process. If you are going to be storing your items for a while before taking them to the recycling center, you may want to rinse them to reduce flies and odors.

What do I do with plastic bags?

Some grocery and department stores will take back plastic shopping bags for recycling. Perry Township’s recycling program accepts plastic bags.

How do I know what type of plastic I have?

On the container, you’ll see a number inside a triangle of chasing arrows. If it is No. 1 (PETE) or No. 2 (HDPE), it can be recycled in Stark County.

What colors of glass can be recycled in Stark County?

Most drop-offs will accept clear, brown and green glass. Do not try to recycle windows, drinking glasses, mirrors, baking dishes, coffeepots, or lightbulbs. They’re not pure glass and will not melt at the same temperature.

What if there’s no market for the recycled materials?

Companies, such as J&J Refuse, will store the recycled materials until the market improves. The end of the year is the best time to get recycled materials, but it’s also one of the worst times to try to sell bundled recycled materials, J&J officials said.

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